


Funeral blues

by GaneWhoo



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League (2017), Supergirl (TV 2015), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Action, Aliens, Carter Grant all grown up, DC crossover, Diana saves the day, F/F, Five Years Later, Lois Lane misses all the fun, end of the world plot, two parts fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-06 13:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11037501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/pseuds/GaneWhoo
Summary: “Mom! Mom wake up! Wake up, mom!”Cat’s eyes snapped open as she felt her body being shaken awake, rather abruptly. She was exhausted, the few hours of sleep she had managed to snatch weighing heavy upon her eyelashes and already urging her to close them again, to go back to sleep.“Mom! Mom, please, wake up.”[...]“Mom, it’s Kara! She’s, she’s … Mom, you need to see this! Come on! Mom.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hi guys, fair warning because the first part is mostly angst.  
>  The second one is more action packed, but with bits of angst too, here and there. The second part is the big crossover with Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and a whole bunch of heroes. _

“Mom! Mom wake up! Wake up, mom!”

Cat’s eyes snapped open as she felt her body being shaken awake, rather abruptly. She was exhausted, the few hours of sleep she had managed to snatch weighing heavy upon her eyelashes and already urging her to close them again, to go back to sleep.

“Mom! Mom, please, wake up.”

The voice sounded distant, like an echo far away in the room but she recognized it instantly and it provoked a surge of adrenaline that kickstarted her system as she finally heard the panicked edge it held. She jolted up to sit in her bed, running a hand over her face to chase the fatigue away and then, she finally focused on her son. Her heart squeezed, missed a beat and then dropped when she took in the tears running down his cheeks, the terror swirling in his baby blue eyes and the way he was practically panting, his chest heaving up and down too quickly as he struggled just to breathe.

“Carter? Sweetheart, hey, I’m here, what’s wrong? I’m awake, I’m awake, take a deep breath and tell me. What is it?” She asked, trying to sound soft and inviting and not to show the fear he was rapidly awaking in her guts.

“Mom, it’s Kara! She’s, she’s … Mom, you need to see this! Come on! Mom.” He was tugging at her wrist and she quickly pushed the blanket away, to be able to leave the bed and to follow her son. Her heart was racing in her chest and her mind was whirling and spinning, going in every direction but she couldn’t seem to focus on anything.

The penthouse was almost pitch black but as they came close to the living room, she noticed the glowing and flashing halo the television was casting upon the furnitures. The sound was on, very low but she heard sirens and shouts, screams too. Carter dragged her in front of the huge flat screen and then he slid his fingers to hold her hand, tight. She squeezed it gently, out of habit but mostly because he was frightening her but then, she caught a glimpse of a blue and red blur on the screen and her attention sharpened.

The scene unfolding before her, filmed by one of CatCo’s most talented cameraman and commented by the usual night anchor, wasn’t typically new but still quite impressive. National City got used to see Supergirl fight some kind of alien threat and save the day but Cat immediately sensed it; something was off.

Grabbing the remote with her free hand, she turned the volume up and listened as the anchor tried to explain what was happening in the middle of National City.

“ _For the last two hours, Supergirl has been struggling to arrest the unidentified alien responsible for all the bombings around the city those past two weeks. The fight first began when Supergirl landed near the alien as he was apparently targeting the CatCo building and she managed to relocate the confrontation a few roads away but ever since, she’s been in a complicated position._ ”

Cat felt a chill go down her spine as she stared at the live footages of Supergirl trying to come closer to her opponent.

The alien didn’t look that impressive, almost human even, if not for the greyish color of his skin and the glowing green of his eyes. He was slightly taller than an average man but the cruel smirk on his lips truly was the most disturbing fact about his overall appearance.

“ _We don’t know the details but judging by the fact Supergirl can’t quite approach him, the most plausible theory is that he is wearing some kind of device that is forcing the hero to keep her distance._ ”

The anchor’s words took a few seconds to penetrate Cat’s mind and she suddenly understood what was happening on the screen, why Kara was standing so far away from her enemy and why she looked exhausted, weak even.

The hostile alien was carrying kryptonite with him.

In the background, Cat saw men in black move around to try to clear a path and evacuate all the civilians but they didn’t get too close to the hostile alien and she guessed Hank must have told them off. The camera suddenly jerked toward the left and it showed tanks and army trucks pull over on each side of the main street, a flow of soldiers bleeding out from them, ready to follow orders.

“ _The army is now on the site and it appears that General Lane is going to fight at Supergirl’s side._ ”

The camera was back on Supergirl and Cat barely felt any relief when she saw Lucy Lane pull Kara back a little, further away from the alien terrorist. Another woman suddenly appeared at the edge of the frame and walked towards the duo. Cat recognized Alex and she briefly wondered why the older Danvers wasn’t trying to keep her sister away from the fight, since Kryptonite seemed to be involved.

But the camera zoomed and even though the image became blurry, Cat could see the panic and the urgence in the women’s moves, the way Kara gestured and talked with her hands like she often did to argue. The side of her face looked strained with something sticky and as the image tried to focus, Cat realized it was blood.

“Mom, she’s bleeding.”

It’s when she heard Carter’s voice next to her that she realized she had forgotten about him, about their hands linked together as they watched the news. She managed to tear her eyes away from the flat screen to focus on him.

He looked so frightened, tears still spilling out from his deep blue eyes and soaking the collar of his Harry Potter pyjama as he tried to breathe. He was almost fifteen now, already a teenager but at this instant, in the heart of the night and under the dim light of the TV, he looked terribly younger.

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” She answered and she squeezed his hand a little harder because as much as she still wanted to protect him from the world and its tragedies, right now, she couldn’t lie to him. Not when they were both aware of what was happening.

She heard him gasp and she immediately focused back on the screen.

The camera was now focused on the hostile alien, who had just started glowing green. His skin showed cracks and creases glimmering with the exact shade of green that colored his eyes. The gleam was quickly growing and the cameraman suddenly moved to show Supergirl push the two other women away, a look of pure terror twisting her usually poised features.

The image jumped back to the alien and his smug smirk and Cat suddenly realized he wasn’t wearing any device or anti-supergirl tool.

He was made kryptonite.

He had it in his body and if the way he was suddenly standing in the middle of the place, arms outstretched and head tipped backward, the green radiations dangerously becoming blinding, he was about to blow himself up.

She gasped and clutched Carter’s hand a little tighter, her eyes never leaving the screen.

Then, everything happened at once.

The image was a blur as Supergirl flung herself at the hostile alien, securing him in a tight grip before and taking off to the sky.

Cat let out another gasp and brought her free hand over her mouth, terrorized as she watched the two bodies disappear into darkness above the city.

Suddenly, the anchor stopped talking altogether and there was no siren, no scream and not a single sound echoed as everyone seemed to wait for something to happen. The main camera was searching the sky while another one was showing the faces of Lucy and Alex. They were too far away and the quality wasn’t good but Cat knew Alex was trying to reach out to Supergirl through her earpiece, while Lucy waited next to her.

Nothing happened for a long while and the seconds bleeded into a full minute, then two, then three …

The explosion, high up above the clouds, casted a blinding and bright green light over the whole city and the sound that came seconds later was deafening and strong enough to cause the earth to shake, breaking windows and light bulbs, setting off car alarms and popping up a few fire hydrants.

The camera searched the sky frantically now, joined by all the broadcasting cameras around National City.

Next to her, Carter had stopped breathing and Cat was holding her breath as well, mentally praying for the familiar blur of red and blue to come down. 

The kryptonite dust slowly disappeared and the sky regained its original color, pitch black with some sparkle of grey when the clouds flew too close to the lights of National City. 

The sirens were still silent, the anchor had yet to resume its reporting and not even the low purr of a car engine could be heard in the background. It felt like the whole city was holding its breath, waiting for its most beloved hero to come down, so the public could finally let go of the fear to break down into a well deserved round of applause and loud cheers. 

Except this time, the minutes bleeded into hours and nothing ever fell from the sky.

—

Carter was curled up on the couch, having cried himself up to sleep, despite Cat’s best attempts to comfort him, but if she was being honest, she was glad he had finally passed out. She had tried to stay strong for him, because she knew he needed someone to ground him and to try to reassure him, even if he was too clever to believe anything she had tried to come up with to explain what they saw.

Now pacing the floor between the couch and the TV, she tried to call Alex again. She was so sure it would go straight to voicemail, like the first thirty times she had tried, that she almost dropped her phone when Alex picked up. 

“Cat, I’m sorry I couldn’t call you before, things are … hectic,” Alex said and Cat noticed she sounded breathless, panting even. There was a lot of noise in the background, shouts and ruffling, loud footsteps echoing through a close space. 

“Alex. What’s happening, where is Kara? She doesn’t answer my call, I figured maybe she was injured … The explosion … It was kryptonite, is she alright?” Cat asked, pacing even more frantically, squeezing her phone so tight she thought it might break, waiting for answers. 

“Cat. Take a deep breath. Sit down.” Alex ordered and Cat frowned, recoiling under the command. However, she did as she was told because as much as she hated being ordered around, she trusted Alex. 

She sat down at the far end of her couch, next to her son’s feet and she glanced at him to make sure he was still asleep. His face was still red and puffy, tears strain clearly visible in the dim light the TV casted on his worried and distressed features. Her heart ached for him and more than anything in the world, she wanted Alex to bring her good news so she could tell Carter that everything would be alright and mean it. 

“Alex, please. I need to know that she’s alright.” Cat whispered, swallowing hard against the lump of anxiety caught in her throat. On the screen in front of her, a camera was still searching through the sky above National City and the anchor was now back to himself, reporting the news with a grave face and a very serious voice. 

“Cat …” Alex sighed and there was a short pause before she started speaking again. “We don’t know where she is.” 

Cat felt her heart drop in her chest and stop for a few seconds. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath, then another one and she worked her way through the rising panic that threatened to wash over her. 

“Everyone at the DEO is looking for her and I even called Clark for help but he blew off his powers a few days ago, during the big fight against the Dominators that menaced to invade Earth … Kara had to go there to help …” Alex explained and Cat cut her off. 

“Yes, yes, I remember. What does it mean you don’t know where she is? She has a geo-locating device in her suit and you updated it just last month, can’t you use it?” She asked, trying to summon her Cat Grant CEO persona to deal with the fear twisting her stomach and the panic growing ever so quickly in her chest.

“It’s the first thing I tried but the device must have been affected by Kryptonite because it’s not working. The last known coordinates are in National City, just above the block where she was fighting the enhanced Valeronian.” Alex answered, her voice a little sharp but steady. 

“Enhanced Valeronian? You mean … He was … part of Cadmus?” Cat swallowed, standing up to start pacing the floor again, unable to stay put. 

“Yes, we believe so. They must have injected him with Kryptonite somehow, like they did with Metallo but this time, they knew better. The alien had full control over the radioactive material and he chose to blow himself up when he realized he was cornered … I … I told her not to …” Alex trailed off and Cat heard the weaver in her voice. 

“Alex. You need to find her. I … Please, please find her.” Cat almost collapsed to the floor as she realized what the change in Alex’s voice could mean.

The size of the explosion had been impressive but what scared Cat beyond imagination was that it had been a bomb made of Kryptonite. 

“I’m trying. Lucy is deploying all her army resources to help us find her but … Cat, you need to …” Alex tried to warn her but Cat shook her head no, even though the older Danvers couldn’t see it. 

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. Find her.” Cat ordered sharply, the sheer force of her denial audible in her tone. 

“We will. I’ll call you back in the morning, hopefully with an update.” Alex replied and she hung up without another word. 

Cat stood in the middle of her living room, in the glowing halo of the TV screen, clutching her phone between her fingers as she desperately tried not to cry.

—

Morning came and there was still no word about Supergirl’s whereabouts.

Carter asked to stay home and Cat couldn’t deny him. 

She managed to get him to agree to a shower and she sighed in relief when she saw him walk towards the bathroom.

She made breakfast, trying very hard not to think of the many mornings when she had found Kara singing and dancing around the kitchen, using a wooden spoon or spatula as a mic and making Carter laugh with her silly faces and moves. 

They have been together for a little over two years now but somehow, it felt unreal. 

Cat was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the day Kara would wake up and realize she was wasting her time with a woman twice her age, all sharp edges and blunt wit, unused to be loved and not sure how to love in return. 

Yet, every day Kara was there by her side, her usual bubbly self and she made it seem so easy, to love and to be loved, Cat grew addicted to the feeling. She was a junkie for Kara’s presence, for her smile and her sparkling blue eyes, for the random rambles and the science nerding, for the soft touches and the comfortable silences, for the constant support and even for the arguments they had, whenever Cat would let her insecurities take over or when Supergirl would act a little too careless during a fight. She loved the way Kara would roll over in the night to make contact with her skin, the way her whole face lit up when she was told there would be potstickers, she admired Kara and Carter’s beautiful relationship, how the hero was always very careful of his feelings and she was grateful for being allowed to see Kara grow and blossom in her life, both as a woman and as a superhero, even if it meant countless sleepless nights filled with worries and anxiety, until Kara would flow back through the windows with a smile on her face. 

She was still hoping for that kind of return, despite the voice in her head whispering it wasn’t going to be that easy this time. 

“I’m not hungry.” Carter said as he stood in the kitchen’s entrance, a frown between his anxious blue eyes and a scowl on his lips as he watched her put a few pancakes on a plate. 

“I know. I’m not either but we have to eat something.” Cat replied and she brought two plates to the living room, putting them down on the coffee table. Carter followed and if he was surprised to be allowed to eat here, he didn’t say anything. She went back to the kitchen to bring back two glasses of fresh orange juice and she then joined him on the sofa. 

He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. The images were the same as last night, on repeat as the anchor said they didn’t have any new informations about Supergirl’s disappearance. After a while, Carter muted the sound and reluctantly picked at his food, managing to eat a full pancake before pushing the plate away. 

“Thank you. I know it’s hard but we need to take care of ourselves too.” Cat softly said and Carter turned his head to look at her. 

“Okay, mom. Then you need to finish your pancake too.” He pointed at her plate and she sighed, knowing he was right. He was trying to be strong, she could tell, and the least she could do was to make the same effort.

She felt her stomach protest at the food she was forcing down on it but she finally ate the whole pancake. She downed her orange juice before taking a deep breath. 

“Alright. I’m going to work from home today and you can do whatever you want as long as you promise to eat lunch and dinner, I will fix us something or … order something for tonight if you prefer?” She asked him, standing up to gather their plates to bring them into the kitchen, leaving everything in the sink. 

“I don’t know. Maybe, we can wait until Kara comes home and we’ll figure out for tonight?” Carter replied, sounding so hopeful it broke Cat’s heart. 

“Sweetheart I … I don’t know if she will be back by then. They have yet to find her and she might be in a bad shape …” She forced herself to answer, looking right into his eyes while doing so. She saw the gleam of hope waver and reduce but it was still there when he nodded. 

“Alright. I’m going to go read in my bedroom. Can you … call me, if there is any news?” She almost sobbed at the insecurity in his voice, the way he asked so cautiously making it clear that he was struggling to keep on hoping. 

“Of course, Sweetheart,” She answered, not even trying to smile because she knew she couldn’t. 

He nodded and then wandered off towards his bedroom. 

As soon as she heard the door close, she retrieved her phone from the kitchen counter and dialed Alex, crossing the penthouse to go lock herself in her home office. 

“Cat.” Alex’s exhaustion was tangible in her voice, low and slow. 

“Alex, is there … Do you have any … news?” Cat asked, trying to sound sure and sharp but failing miserably as panic rose again in her chest.

“None.” Alex sighed but she didn’t give Cat the time to speak. “Lena Luthor reached out to put all her resources at our services and we are now a little over 500 people to search for her but so far nothing. Hank is out, flying in circles around the city and we are extending the range. Winn created a fancy algorithm to calculate the force of the explosion, taking in account a whole bunch of factors to determine the probability for how far Kara had been projected but … Either he made some mistakes and it didn’t work or …” Alex trailed off, a loud sigh escaping her lips as she was obviously trying to pull herself together. 

“It has to work.” Cat whispered, her mind blocking any other possible outcome. “What does Superman say? I know he blew up his powers but surely, he can reach out to … friends, who can help?” 

She heard the sound of heavy footsteps on Alex’s side, some muffled voices shouting orders. 

“He contacted Batman, who’s now working with Winn to modify the algorithm, and we tried to contact our friends on Earth-1 but they’re busy with a creature that can time-travel, they can’t help us.” Alex answered before snapping at someone. Cat couldn’t make out the words but she recognized the second voice as belonging to Lucy. 

“Alex.” She called, trying to get the older Danvers attention. “Alex!” 

“Yes, Cat? I’m busy you know, I’m trying to be there for you and to keep you updated but you need to let me do my job so I can find her and bring her home.” Alex replied, a sharp edge in her voice that softened towards the end of her sentence. Cat understood, more than anyone else, the urgency in the woman’s tone, the hint of despair that came with the feeling of helplessness. It was eating her alive as she tried to gather her courage. 

“Alex. What are … “ She tried to swallow but it felt like shards of glass were being forced down her throat. “What are the odds?” She finally brought herself to ask. 

The silence that followed was an answer in itself but when she heard the muffled sob Alex had been unable to hold back, she closed her eyes and shook her head, still trying to deny the evidence even as it started to sink in. 

“Not good.” Alex finally managed to croak. “By every calculation, if we take in consideration the concentration of kryptonite in the enhanced Valeronian and despite Kara’s powers … The chances of survival are less than ten percent.” 

This time, Cat fell to her knees on the rug of her office and started crying, silently. 

“How long before … how long before you have to stop?” Cat heaved as she tried to contain her cries, hating herself for asking but needing an answer all the same. 

“A week.” 

Cat let out a loud sob.

“I’m going to try everything I can until the very last second but .. I …” Alex Danvers was one of the bravest people Cat knew and she knew a lot of people but in this moment, she sounded like a little girl on the verge of tears. Cat was aware that the agent was trying to keep it together despite the situation but she could still hear the trace of fatality in her voice, the not so distant echo of an impending loss that would ravage them both. 

“I know you will. I … just, let me know, if …” Cat finally said, managing to sound almost normal if not for the slight panting in between her fragmented sentences. 

“I will.” Alex replied solemnly, before hanging up. 

Cat threw her phone across the room, towards one of her sofas. It landed on the cushions with a soft thud, before it bounced back and fell on the hard-wooden floor. 

She heard the crack in the screen and that was what broke the dam. 

She started crying uncontrollably.

—

Three days passed in an agonizingly slow blur and Cat was losing her mind.

She had snapped at pretty much everyone that worked in her building, fired two assistants and yelled at a member of the board and she had just received a call from Carter’s school that made everything worse. 

Carter had gotten in a fight. 

She knew he wasn’t dealing well with the situation, at all, but still, she hadn’t expected that kind of behavior from her son.

Carter used to be so shy and shell-locked, not socializing, not talking much either, content to be by himself but with the help of Kara, he had grown and gained in confidence. Now, he had friends and he even became somehow popular in highschool. He still had panic attacks when he was surrounded by strangers or facing an unknown or stressful situation but Kara had taught him how to deal with it. 

She was lost in her thoughts in the backseat of the car, on her way to pick her son up, when Alex called. Her heart missed a few beats and she almost didn’t pick up, her mind going through every possibility for the older Danvers to contact her. Somehow, she could sense that it wasn’t the good kind of call and she was afraid of what she would learn. 

Finally, she gathered her courage and pressed the green button. 

“Alex.” She greeted stiffly, unable to ask anything and letting the other woman do the work. 

“Actually, it’s Lucy.” The familiar voice of the General filled her with a dreadful feeling. 

“Lesser Lane. Why are you calling me from Alex’s phone?” Cat asked, frowning as she checked the ID on her screen. 

“Alex just passed out. She’s fine, she was just exhausted, severely dehydrated and she had neglected to eat for too long. She’s been working on finding Kara for the last four days non-stop. Her mother just arrived, she’s in good hands.” Lucy informed her, sounding incredibly tired as well. Everyone was. 

“Eliza’s here?” Cat swallowed thickly. She was drowning in the turmoil of her feelings but she couldn’t even fathom what Eliza must be feeling. Cat was trying not to lose hope but while she was waiting for her lover to return, Eliza was waiting for a child. 

“She’s just arrived yes, I called her yesterday because Alex snapped at me in the middle of the DEO, yelling that she didn’t need to rest or to eat, that she only wanted to work to find her sister. She’s stretched herself too thin, it was only a matter of time before she’d fall,” Lucy explained and she sighed, loudly. “I just wanted to let you know that if you need to call, you can call me now. Alex is hooked up to an IV and she won’t get up anytime soon. We’re ready to sedate her if needed, because we can’t … I can’t … we can’t lose them both.” 

Cat’s breath hitched and she swallowed back a sob. She hated Lucy for having say that out loud but she also knew she needed to hear it. Lucy wasn’t taking gloves with her and she was right to do so. For all her hopes and prayers, Cat still didn’t want the truth to be sugar-coated. 

“I’ll call you if anything change.” Lucy finally said, ending the call before Cat could say thank you. 

There was no time to lose.

—

It was the last night of search.

Cat had tried to sway the president to have more time but Olivia refused. She was gentle and kind but still firm when she told Cat she would not allow the waste of a major part of the government resources on a search mission that would lead nowhere. 

At some point, Cat had lost her temper and threatened her with some blackmail material that could possibly ruin Olivia’s campaign, should she choose to run again.

The president didn’t cave and they had hung up on each other, both aware of the new and irreparable crack in their friendship. 

It was 2am and Cat was staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, sprawled on her back on the bed she had grown used to share with Kara for the past two years. 

She had never realized how big and cold that bed was, until Kara came along. 

She was haunted by the ghost feeling of Kara’s soft and warm skin pressed against hers, by the weight of an arm thrown around her waist and by the gentle tickle of sunkissed curls brushing her shoulder or the back of her neck. 

She took a deep breath, inhaling the last remnants of her lover’s scent and it brought up a sob Cat didn’t even try to hold back. It smelled like earth and wind, like fresh morning dew and sweet cinnamon rolls and more than never, she wished it was all a dream. 

It wasn’t and Kara was missing, had been for the past seven days. 

Cat sobbed again and then pushed the covers away, leaving her bed to go open the bay windows leading to her balcony. She stepped out and let the darkness of the night envelope her. She went to sit down on one of the sunbath and looked up at the night sky, searching for the stars Kara had shown her a few times. 

It was hot like a regular summer night in National City and no wind was blowing to relieve the skin from the sickening dampness that clung to it. It smelled like heavy dust and burned asphalt and from time to time, the strong salty scent of the ocean would waft up to the high buildings. 

The sky was clear and pure, stars shining brightly, scattered across the whole celestial vault and the moon, not quite full but still looking round, was casting a strong halo over the world. For once, Cat regretted living in a building at the limit of a bustling city because the lights were drowning the natural night glow. 

She sighed heavily and looked down at her phone. She was bringing it everywhere with her now, still hoping despite the deadline hanging over her head like the sword of Damoclès. The picture on her locked screen was one of Kara and Carter at the beach house, with the boy on Kara’s shoulders as the superhero was walking towards the camera, emerging from the ocean behind her. 

The happy smiles and matching blue eyes were painful to look at, tonight. 

She unlocked her phone and scrolled through her repertoire to a number she hadn’t called in years. She let her thumb hover above the name, unsure if it was the right thing to do at the moment but she was sleep deprived and barely holding it together and she had trouble to keep thinking rationally.

She would have already crumbled if it wasn’t for her son, who needed her more than ever. 

Finally, she touched the screen and brought her phone to her ear, listening to the multiple rings before a familiar voice came through. 

“Kitty.” 

It was a nickname she loathed, especially coming from her but tonight, she found some solace in the way she frowned at the endearment term. It was something she knew, something straight out of her memories but concrete, real. Something certain, God knew she needed it. 

“Lesser Lane. I’m surprised you picked up.” She said, her voice a little hoarse from all the crying she’d been doing lately, even though she had tried to keep it to a bare minimum. 

“Frankly, you and me both. I was sound asleep, you see.” Lois answered but there was no hint of annoyance in her voice, just a slight slur betraying that she had indeed just woken up. 

“At 2am on a Saturday morning, groundbreaking.” Cat sassed, needing the banter to distract her from the impending doom that would come with the raising sun. At noon today, the search for Kara would stop and there was nothing she could do. Nothing. 

“I know, I’m getting old but I’m still better looking than you so you know, I haven’t lost everything yet.” Lois replied and her smirk was practically audible in her words but it was the wrong thing to say, because Cat broke down. 

“Oh Kitty, I’m so sorry I didn’t think before speaking. You know it’s one of my many flaws, I just jump right in and I get myself in trouble …” Lois spoke softly, her voice clear but gentle as she kept talking. “I know you don’t care but I’m going to talk about me because let’s be honest, it’s the best topic of conversation ever.” 

Cat snorted between her cries but she didn’t answer, clinging to her phone and focusing on this familiar voice she usually found annoying and not worthy of her time. 

Tonight however, it was something she wanted, something she needed and she settled a little more comfortably on the sunbath to let her best rival talk.

—

Alex called her at five past noon to let her know that to the whole world, Supergirl was dead.

The older Danvers voice was mechanical and hollow when she explained that as far as they were concerned, the DEO, the Army, L-Corp and all the entities that had joined the search mission were done and that they were planning to release a statement to announce it. 

Through her grief and the agony of her loss, Cat demanded to be the one to write the article about Supergirl’s death and to release the news with CatCo. 

She lost it when Alex told her she also needed to write a statement to explain the sudden disappearance of Kara Danvers.

—

The article went down for publication on Monday morning and National City fell into a painful silence as everyone read the news. The anchors of CatCo released a statement listing the casualties of the last attacks on National City, starting with Supergirl and finishing off with the names of the civilians who died in the wake of the fight.

Kara Danvers was the last name, reported missing while following a lead for a mafia case she was working for CatCo Worldwide Media. 

In the end, the newsman informed that the hero would have a military funeral on the next day, with her coffin being driven across the city before the actual private ceremony in National City’s cemetery.

The anchor called for everyone’s respect as he explained that the public wasn’t allowed past the gates of the sacred garden. 

Cat threw her remote at the TV at the end of the broadcast, breaking the screen, and she fell to her knees, too exhausted to cry but hurting too much to keep standing. 

Carter came behind her to hug her tight, crying against her shoulder as they both mourned the loss of their hero.

—

National City was strangely quiet this morning. Almost all of the streets were empty, the shops were closed and no car was troubling the tacit but somber peace.

The sky was heavy with dark grey clouds that floated around the skyscrapers and threatened to burst with rain at any moment. The rolling echo of the thunder would sometimes shake the ground but everything was otherwise silent. 

Cat held onto Carter’s hand as they followed the black coffin along Main Street. 

It was a beautiful casket, made of black polished wood and she had demanded the emblematic S to be carved in silver right above where Kara’s head would be, if they had an actual body to bury. 

For now, it was covered with the american flag because the whole army was there to accompany National City’s most beloved hero to her last home. Ranks and ranks of soldiers in uniform and standing to attention were bordering the avenue as they slowly progressed toward the cemetery. The cavalry was here too, the horses walking in perfect synchronization, spread on three lines, ahead of the carriage supporting the coffin. 

Lucy Lane, in full General outfit, was walking to her right and Lois was next to Carter, alone while Superman was hovering above their heads, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Winn, James and Alex were walking on the same line, on Lucy’s side, flanked with Eliza Danvers, Hank Henshaw and Olivia Marsdin. They were followed by a whole crowd of allies, from Lena Luthor to the owner of the dive alien bar where Supergirl had been spotted a few times, aka M'gann M'orzz, a white martian who had somehow became a friend along the years. There was a whole group of firemen and policemen lost in the ranks of some of the most eminent people in the world, here to pay their respects to a hero who always had the utmost faith in Humanity. Aside from the sounds of heavy footsteps and occasional cries and sniffles, the low beats of the military drums was the only noise to be heard, sometimes troubled by the distant rolling of the thunder. 

At the cemetery gates, the people stopped and only a few dozen of individuals were allowed inside, following the coffin that had been transferred from the carriage to the shoulders of military men. Winn, James and Hank had asked to be allowed to carry the empty casket of their friend but the president denied it, saying it would be too much of a hint leading to Supergirl’s real identity. Cat had wanted to scream but even Hank eventually agreed with Olivia. 

Carter sniffed next to her and she pulled him closer to her, moving her hand to slide an arm across his shoulder, holding her son tight. She absentmindedly realized she was trying to comfort him as much as she needed his support to not fall apart. 

They placed the casket on the rostrum that would go down below earth at the end of the ceremony. 

Cat swallowed, feeling like this funeral was a joke and a tragedy at once. They weren’t burying Supergirl but her hopes to ever see the hero again. It was a symbolic gesture she would rather not be doing but for the whole city, for the whole world, for those she had to share Supergirl with, she would manage. If not for them, she would get to the end of the day for Carter because he had already lost the closest person to him after her and she would not let him drown in his grief alone. 

The eulogy was simple but beautiful and she silently cried as she heard the testimonies of a handful of people praising Supergirl.

The president finally stepped in front of the coffin to speak. 

“ _It is a sad day for the world and for National City especially, for we are gathered here to mourn our most beloved hero. The girl of Steel and the last daughter of Krypton, also known as Supergirl, was a force of good and a symbol of hope, saving people every day and protecting them from any kind of threat that would come its way. She was a survivor and yet, she was bright and full of faith and optimism. I don’t have the right words to express how deeply I am going to miss her so I will borrow the words of someone else. This is a poem written by Wystan Hugh Auden …_ ” 

As much as she wanted to, Cat wasn’t crying for the hero. She was crying for someone whom she had loved too deeply for her soul to fully take in what death meant. She was crying for Kara, the woman she had gotten used to have around, first as an assistant, then as a confident, as a friend, as a close friend and eventually, she had allowed them to become something far more precious than she had ever imagined they would be. A couple, a powerful one but a loving one, everything she had craved for years and never found in the embraces of the men she had chosen along the years. She was grieving for warm skin, a bumbling voice, a sunny smile and a love that could bend whole galaxies in whatever shapes she had wanted. 

“ _Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum, bring out the coffin, let the mourners come._ ” 

She was grieving Kara. 

Not Kara Danvers, the perfect assistant and the rising star of journalism, the cool sister and the even cooler friend. Not Kara Zor-El, the last heir of a planet that had been reduced to less than dust, the haunted woman full of words no one could fully understand nor reproduce. Not Supergirl, the superhero that had saved the day more than once, risking her life each time to protect the people living on this planet she had chosen to call home.

No, she was mourning all of them and none at once, she was mourning someone the world didn’t know. 

“ _The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood … For nothing now can ever come to any good._ ” 

At the end of the service, they retrieved the flag. 

It was another symbolic gesture that didn’t mean anything to her but she allowed it, for the sake of everyone else. She knew the power of symbols and she wouldn’t take them away from those who needed it. 

They folded the flag with care and respect, following the sound of cannons and rifles going off. 

She swallowed hard and almost broke down when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Hank was there, strong and tall and apparently stoic but his eyes were swirling with every emotion he wasn’t showing. It was sadness, hurt and despair and she buried her face in his shoulder, allowing herself to cry because she was nowhere as strong as he was and her whole body was aching with grief. She felt it right into her bones, digging even deeper to reach her soul and she clung to Carter’s hand, trying to ground herself somehow. 

It didn’t last and she was able to recompose herself quickly, under the worried scrutiny of the Lane sisters. 

Superman flew down next to his cousin’s empty casket and he landed softly on the grass, looking at the silver S on display. Cat watched as he traced the edge of the symbol with his fingers, whispering words in a language she had heard a few times when Kara would feel the need to remember Krypton. He looked broken, shoulders hunched, cheeks ravaged with tear stains and even his dark curls were flat on his head as he finished saying the prayers of his world. 

A world that was gone, once more, for he was truly the last son of Krypton.

—

The day had dragged on and on and she couldn’t remember everything. All she knew is she and her son had been cared for all along. She remembered Lucy bringing her a cup of coffee, spiced with a few fingers of bourbon if the weird taste had been anything to go by. Lois had kept company to Carter, Clark joining her a little later after the service, in his plain, civilian clothes.

Alex even managed to give her a hug, a tight, desperate one and she had reveled into the embrace before letting go. Eliza had gone silent since the day they had declared Kara dead but she had grabbed Cat’s hand and squeezed it. Cat knew it had been meant as a gesture of comfort but she felt it like another dent in the coffin of her rotten hopes. 

In the end, she found herself sitting on her couch, in her living room. Carter had passed out a few hours ago and Clark had carried him to his bed, gently, softly, with a reverence in his eyes that had made Cat want to scream again because at this exact moment, he had looked so much like Kara. 

She watched the images flicker on the TV, a muted replay of the funerals.

Somehow, it didn’t really hurt to look at it from a camera angle. It was as if she was simply witnessing it from a CEO point of view, taking in the excellent quality, the elaborated rhythm and the expert transitions. It was almost soothing, to slip into her work persona for a few minutes. 

“Cat?” Lois gently asked, sitting down next to her. Cat registered the dipping of the cushion, the new weight at her side but she didn’t turn her head, still mentally criticizing the work of her CatCo crew. 

“Cat. Please, say something.” Lois whispered and she hesitantly reached out to take Cat’s hand. 

Cat recoiled from the contact and moved her hand away. She wasn’t ready for everyone to soothe her, even though she was certain she couldn’t survive the night.

Not when she finally knew Kara wasn’t coming back. Ever. 

The realization suddenly came to her, full force, and it took her breath away before she broke down into muffled sobs and silent cries, bringing a hand in front of her mouth in a gesture of terror for what the revelation unveiled. 

Kara was gone.

—

Days bled into weeks and slowly, into months.

Summer went away and the bright colors of autumn took over, hurting Cat’s eyes every time the light would bask her office with the strands of gold that reminded her too much of Kara’s hair. 

Carter’s grades dropped drastically and he was fighting all the time now. She finally resolved to bring him to therapy but she still refused external help for herself. She wasn’t ready to share her memories of Kara with anyone, especially not a professional stranger. 

Winter came around and Carter asked to spend Christmas with his father. Cat couldn’t even blame him, she knew he wanted to avoid the penthouse and the happy memories of the previous Christmas they had spent with Kara. 

She arranged for Carter’s father to come pick him up at the penthouse a few days before the 25th. Christopher had been nothing but compliant ever since Kara’s death and she was mad at him for the timing he chose to be a better father. 

Carter came back for New Year’s Eve and they went to Alex’s to celebrate it. 

Alex and Lucy had finally let go of all their doubts and fears and they had moved in together at the beginning of winter. Cat knew, first hand, that wasn’t easy but somehow they managed, despite the fact Alex was drinking too much and Lucy was getting lost in her work too often, taking unnecessary risks. 

Everyone was here, even Lois and Clark and Cat couldn’t exactly avoid them this time. Lois chastised her for not answering her calls and Clark stayed silent but he rolled his eyes at some point and the annoyance in the gesture almost made Cat smile. Almost. 

The new year started with a bunch of half-hearted happy new years and then everyone went home. 

Winter left and spring brought its fair share of grey, rainy days.

Carter began to heal a little, not getting into as many fights and working on his grades. He was silent now, more shell-locked than he ever was but Cat assumed it was a step up from all the anger he had carried around since last summer. 

The beginning of summer brought back the usual heat waves and the flowery dresses and as the anniversary of Supergirl’s death drawn upon everyone, Cat became even more impossible than she usually was. She snapped at her new assistant without any apparent reason but she couldn’t stand the girl’s daffodil yellow dress, it was too close to something Kara wore once, on that weird day when she had awkwardly tried to pass off The Flash as her cousin. 

A memorial ceremony was given in honor of the fallen hero and the mayor unveiled a statue that was so realistic it gave Cat a hysteric attack. She had to be checked into a hospital but she walked out barely an hour after having been brought in. She hated hospitals. 

Lois picked her up and brought her back to the penthouse, without a word. 

Eventually, summer ended.

—

Cat had come to hate her bed and she usually tried to spend as little time as possible in it but tonight, she was exhausted.

She was tired of getting barely any sleep, of having to deal with people all day long and of living in a state of missing Kara. She couldn’t even deny that’s how she’s been since the funeral because it was the truth. She missed Kara.

Every minute of every hour of every day, she was acutely aware of the bottomless hole in her heart, where Kara’s love used to be. 

Unable to sleep but too tired to fight her body, she was sitting in bed against the pillow, typing at her ipad and trying to get the japanese CatCo crisis sorted. A chief editor made a huge mistake on the cover of this month’s magazine and it provoked a diplomatic incident worse than the time she refused to shake Donald Trump’s hand when she met him at the white house a few months ago. Once upon a time, she would have been beyond furious about such incompetence coming from her employees but in all honesty, today she was just welcoming the distraction without temper or tantrum. 

She was finishing off an email for the CatCo Japan head of HR when something literally crashed into her bay windows, landing in a rain of glass shards on the rug at the feet of the bed. 

She screamed and jumped out of the bed to run towards the door leading to the hallway, wanting to grab Carter and to put him somewhere safe. She was about to step onto the broken glass to get to the door when she glanced at what had made such damages. 

She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart missing a few beats as she took in the blue suit, the red cape and equally crimson boots, the sunkissed curls and the ocean deep blue eyes. 

There were scars all over Kara’s face, marring her features with red and white as it glowed a little under the dim light of the bed stand lamp, and she began to bleed from her nose before she slumped over the floor, desperately trying to maintain contact with Cat’s eyes. 

She drowned in those ocean blue eyes she thought she would never see again and she saw apologies, regrets, doubts, pain and love. So much of it, she almost choked on all the love she could see swirling in the baby blue irises that threatened to close any second now. 

It felt as if suddenly, the world was right again. 

Only to get even worse when Kara suddenly passed out on the rug, bleeding as she lay in a sea of a broken glass.

—

Alex’s team was there within twenty minutes after Cat called and they took Kara away, transferring her body onto a hand-barrow bed and ushering her up to the roof through the elevator. Cat and Carter got in the chopper with Alex and the medical team, Carter holding his mother’s hand so tight she could feel her fingers become numb from the lack of blood but she didn’t say anything, using the touch to ground herself while her eyes never left Kara’s form.

The suit was ripped open across Kara’s abs, revealing some ugly infected wounds, a sleeve was missing, exposing an arm that had been burned, and the skirt showed multiples holes, burn marks and scrapes. They put an oxygen mask on her mouth and nose but even with it, the barely healed cracks on Kara’s face were impressives. 

She wasn’t healing.

—

Alex ran a battery of tests as fast as she could before saying they needed to operate to remove the traces of residual kryptonite lodged around her heart, the ones that caused the lack of healing.

Everyone immediately fell into action. Alex prepared the medical team, Hank went somewhere else to be an active Director and Cat started pacing the floor outside the medical bay. Carter was asleep in a makeshift bed Hank had brought for him and she was glad he wasn’t awake to watch her dig a hole in the concrete floor of the DEO. 

Lucy came running half an hour later, panting but already asking too many question at once and Cat snapped at her, cutting her off before apologizing. She was feeling exhausted and yet she was too jittery, nervous, anxious even and the mix of those feelings rendered her unable to act properly. She tried to answer Lucy’s question but she kept trailing off and losing her train of thought because she had too many questions of her own. 

“She’s gonna be fine. She made it back to you … She’s gonna be fine.” Lucy offered with a smile and the bags under her eyes made her look terribly old, under the unflattering neon light of the DEO. 

“She was covered in scars and she started bleeding, Alex said she has some residual kryptonite in the tissues around her heart but she … she flew through my window, breaking it before landing near the bed and … Where had she been? How could she fly with kryptonite in her system? Why didn’t she try to reach out sooner?” Cat asked, frustration overlooking both the fear and the relief she was feeling at the idea of Kara being on the operation table. 

She was caught between so many contradictory emotions it was a wonder she was still able to just function. She was over the moon that Kara was back but she was terrorized she was finally going to lose her for good. She was angry because of all the unanswered questions swirling in her head, spinning around like a litany she couldn’t get rid of and she was exhausted, she felt it right into her bones. Her very soul was heavy with fatigue and emotional abuse and her heart was beating too fast in her chest, so fast it physically hurt. 

She was used to high pressure, to stress and to go on on little sleep but this, this was too much even for her. She wanted the world to stop for a while, to allow her to breathe and to rest before going all crazy on her again. 

Lucy didn’t even try to answer any of the questions Cat had just asked. Instead, she sat down on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs some agents brought when Hank ordered it. 

She stayed there, quiet but awake, as Cat resumed her pacing.

—

Alex came out of the medical bay about three hours later, fatigue clear on her face as she staggered towards the little group of people gathered at the end of the hallway.

Winn and James had joined Cat, Lucy and Carter in the improvised waiting room and everyone looked up at Alex when they heard her footsteps. 

The older Danvers immediately spoke, not letting anyone try to guess from what they could read on her features. 

“She’s going to be alright. She fought, hard, she flatlined twice but we were able to remove all the remaining kryptonite from her body and blood. She’s in a coma now, too weak and vulnerable for us to do much now but we are going to put her under a sun powered lamp to heal the most important wounds. Then, I think it would be best to move her out under the actual sun, it’s more powerful than anything we were able to invent here to imitate its regenerating powers.” Alex explained, trying to be thorough as she elaborated on every details. 

Cat stayed silent, her mind still reeling from the fact Kara’s heart had stopped. Twice. 

“Is there any … indication, of what had happened to her?” Lucy softly asked, coming to stand next to her girlfriend to wrap an arm around her waist, silently inviting the older Danvers to lean on her. 

“I don’t know exactly. I gathered that she must have been under the sun at least enough time for her powers to allow her to fly to National City but given the amount of Kryptonite we removed from her system, it’s truly incredible, bordering impossible. Her body is covered with scars and if most of them are healed, there are a whole bunch that need immediate treatment. Her lungs must have been crushed during the explosion, they are nowhere fully healed but it must have been enough to allow her to breath on her own … I didn’t have time to do a full, extensive check up so that’s all I know so far.” The older Danvers said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to steady her thoughts. 

Carter jumped down from the bed he had been sleeping in for the past few hours. 

“Can we see her?” He asked and he sounded so small, so vulnerable and so unsure it made Cat’s heart hurt. She moved behind him to put her hands onto his shoulders and he didn’t try to escape the contact. He even leaned a little against her, seeking support and warmth, reassurance. 

“Yes, but she’s hooked up to a lot of machines and she’s not responsive, for now. Follow me.” Alex answered with a very thin smile, before turning on her heels to lead them into the medical bay. 

James, Winn and Lucy stayed back, giving Cat and Carter some time alone with Kara.

—

Four days later and after a huge argument between Cat, Alex, Lucy and Hank, they finally moved a still comatose Kara into Cat’s beach house, settling her up in a bedroom that had a huge bay window overlooking the ocean and a balcony more than wide enough to welcome Kara’s medical bed.

Time moved slowly, ever so slowly, from that day on.

Kara was constantly basking in the sunlight, from the moment the sun was up and until the night reclaimed the world but she wasn’t waking up.

Aside from the slow fading of the scars across Kara’s face and body, there was no sign of improvement and Cat found very little comfort in the fact it wasn’t getting worse either. 

Alex and Eliza were staying in the house as well, Cat gave them the guest rooms just next to Kara’s. As for Carter, he refused to go to school and she reluctantly gave up on the idea of making him go anyway. 

Lucy would stop by once or twice a day, sometimes with Winn and James and sometimes alone. 

A week went by and more than ever, Cat felt herself drown in her overwhelming feelings.

—

Carter was reading a chapter of Harry Potter out loud to Kara, sat on a chair beside the medical bed on the balcony, when he heard a familiar voice.

“You need a haircut.” 

He dropped the book and jumped to his feet, his heart racing frantically in his chest. He turned his head so fast he almost got whiplash but then, he found a pair of ocean deep blue eyes staring at him, soft and sweet and with just a hint of sheepish humor. 

“Kara!” He breathed, still not believing it was real. 

Reaching out a shaky hand, he gently grabbed Kara’s and when he felt warm fingers squeeze his, he finally bursted into tears, burying his face into the superhero’s shoulder as he let go of a year of grief, anger and emptiness. 

“I got you buddy.” Kara whispered into his ear and he felt an arm squeeze his shoulders. 

The sound of broken glass caught both their attention and they looked up to see Cat, standing in the opening of the bay window, a hand over her mouth, eyes filled with relief and surprise and a puddle of the shattered remaining of a vase, water and flowers at her feet. 

“Mom! She’s awake!” Carter stated the obvious, the happiness in his voice echoing in the air of the soft autumn afternoon. 

Cat stepped over the flower and broken glass to come stand on the other side of the bed, eyes roaming over Kara’s face but then she let out a small sob and smiled. 

“It was about time.” She managed to croak, trying to sound annoyed but not able to hide her relief any longer. 

Kara arched a brow, unimpressed, before smiling and oh, how she had missed that smile. It was the sun itself radiating in a simple gesture and she bent over to kiss her, needing to know it was real, that it wasn’t another dream, that she wouldn’t wake up alone and crying. 

It tasted like honey and life and Cat sobbed against Kara’s lips, moving her hands to cradle her lover’s cheeks and keep her close. 

“That’s still gross, you know.” Carter’s voice echoed near them and they broke off the kiss to laugh at the familiarity of it all. 

As Cat sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping Kara’s hand into her own, she realized she would never take any of this for granted anymore.

—

Alex brought Kara back to the DEO to run some tests, to make sure she was out of the woods for good.

Cat went with them, after having dropped off Carter to school. 

He fought against her when she told him he needed to get back but Kara had gently asked him to, promising she would come to pick him up and that’s all it took. 

“So. What happened to you? Where were you, for the past twelve months or so?” Alex asked as she fussed over her alien sister to monitor her heartbeat. Her voice was clipped and blunt, Cat almost winced at the harsh tone but she could relate. Everyone needed answers. 

“It’s … I don’t have everything pieced back together yet.” Kara started, her brow furrowed into a frown as she tried to focus. “The blast of the explosion was so powerful it catapulted me halfway across the globe and I’m barely exaggerating. I vaguely remember crashing into the water, the ocean surely because there was salt and it made my whole body burn … I think at this point, I was barely alive and definitely powerless.” 

Cat moved to come sit by Kara’s bed, reached out to grab her hand and squeezing it, offering comfort as much as she anchored herself to the reality of the hero’s return. She still had trouble believing it was real and she often needed to touch Kara, to make sure it wasn’t a dream. 

“I … don’t know exactly how but somehow, someone found me and pulled me out of the water, dragged me on a shore and after the salt, it was the sand that added to my suffering and I probably passed out.” Kara breathed, letting Alex use a kryptonite modified needle to take her blood. 

“I woke up … six months later, in a bed carved into the stone of a beautiful cave. I think, the lack of sunlight is what caused my body to shut down to preserve what was left of life in me … There was a woman, taking care of me. It took me a week to stop dozing in and off, to really focus on her and she spoke a language that, even me, I had never heard. It sounded … mythic, somehow. As in a language made for gods only, soft and sweet and it was like hearing a song lost in my memory …” Kara smiled softly and Cat tilted her head, curious but silent. 

“I realized I couldn’t speak but she didn’t seem to mind and I swear, it’s going to sound silly but I swear she could read the words in my eyes because, she was answering me, my questions, my doubts, filling me in on to what had happened to me and how badly I was hurt. First in her language and then in English …” Kara trailed off and a pained expression twisted her soft features. 

“She was pure and kind, truly. I was so weak … She told me my body was still glowing with a green substance and she had no idea how to remove it. I figured it was the results of the enhanced Valeronian blowing himself up … It took three months for her to finally get rid of most of the residual Kryptonite and eventually, she brought me outside the cave and into the sun. I was so weak and exhausted, I couldn’t stand by myself so she took it upon her to lay me out on the shore, near the ocean, for a few hours each day. I wasn’t healing properly, I could feel it. That’s how I knew there was still Kryptonite in my body, inside, out of reach. It makes total sense because I breathed in the cloud of the explosion and it must have gotten in my lungs or something …” Kara trailed off again and Alex nodded. 

“The tissues around your heart, actually. It’s truly a wonder you survived for so long in that state.” 

Kara winced but didn’t answer immediately. When she spoke again, her tone was slow and low. 

“Eventually, I was able to speak again and we talked. She told me her name, when I finally asked for it. Diana, and I was on the island of Themyscira.” 

Alex frowned and Cat blinked a few times, unsure if she could say something. 

“Hum, Kara, that … It doesn’t exist. I mean, my knowledge of the world is not impeccable but I’m pretty sure that island doesn’t exist anywhere on the surface of Earth.” Alex finally said and Kara simply smiled to her. 

“I know. It’s … well hidden from the world and for good reasons. I lost track of time there, but I knew that I needed to come home. Since the island is … isolated, to say the least, I had no choice but to fly. At some point, I thought I had gathered enough power … I wasn’t entirely sure I could do it but I had to try. I bid my goodbyes and I flew. Until … I crashed into Cat’s bay window.” Kara finished and in her baby blue eyes, there was a longing Cat didn’t know how to read. 

Alex was staring at her sister , skeptical but silent. She stayed quiet while finishing running the tests on Supergirl and in the end, she sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. 

“I’m … I thought you were dead. For a whole year, I thought you were dead, we had a funeral, a memorial ceremony even … I … “ Alex trailed off, her voice breaking and tears shining in her eyes. 

“I know, I am so sorry, Alex.” Kara whispered, reaching out to hug her sister and Alex sagged against Kara’s shoulder, finally allowing herself to cry. 

It wasn’t going to be easy, Cat thought, but it was a start.

—

“How exactly are you going to reintroduce yourself to the world?” Carter asked and his question, in appearance innocence, made everyone stop what they were doing.

The whole group of friends and family was gathered in the living room of the beach house, a week after the all clear from Alex. 

Winn and James, sat on opposite couches, were teasing Kara about all the movies and shows she had missed on during the previous year. Eliza, Alex, Clark and M’gann were animatedly talking about aliens related sciences and religions, gathered in the armchairs on the porch, just outside of the bay window and Hank would occasionally chime in but he was content to stay silent. Lucy, Lois and Cat were coming back from the kitchen with drinks and appetizers for everyone when Carter, who was sitting next to Kara, had spoke. 

“What do you mean buddy?” Kara said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him with a questioning look. 

“I mean, Supergirl died at the same time as Kara Danvers, a little over a year ago. It will be suspicious if they suddenly both return from the dead at the same time. Are you seriously saying you didn’t think about it?” The disbelief in the teenager’s voice echoed across the silent room. 

“Actually … I didn’t? It’s been a busy couple of weeks lately and … I didn’t think about it no.” Kara slowly replied, frowning at the realization she hadn’t thought about Supergirl since she woke up. 

No one was talking in the room around them and Carter looked at each of their face with surprise. 

“Seriously?” He snorted and his face hardened, fear and anger suddenly exploding in his deep blue eyes. 

Cat chose that moment to jump in, voice soft and clear. 

“Well, I never explicitly said Kara Danvers died. As far as everyone is concerned, she was reported missing while following a lead for that mafia case Snapper ordered you to drop just before the alien bombing …The police considers it’s a cold case but I’m sure detective Sawyer can be persuaded to make something up …” 

Carter’s eyes snapped up to meet hers. 

“That’s fine and all but what happens when Supergirl show up in the sky the same day Kara returns to CatCo?” 

“What if … “ Kara replied and she looked unsure for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at Carter and finished her sentence. “What if Supergirl didn’t return? At least … at least for a while? I mean … National City survived without me for over a year. A few month or more won’t make too much of a difference, right?” 

Cat’s breath hitched and she almost dropped the bowl of chips she was holding, flooded with surprise and hope as she searched for Kara’s eyes. The smile on the hero’s face told her everything she needed to know and she returned the gesture. 

“I … I think … I’d like that.” Carter answered after a while, a smile slowly gracing his lips as he moved to hug Kara.

—

“Did you mean it?” Cat asked in the darkness of the bedroom, Kara’s arms wrapped around her and holding her close.

“I did. I do.” Kara answered without a trace of hesitation, her breath landing on Cat’s naked shoulder, making her shudder. 

“You’re going to miss it, being Supergirl.” Cat whispered softly, knowing her lover by heart. 

“I know. I never said it was a forever kind of arrangement, though. Someday, I will return to being Supergirl, National City champion but for now, I’m happy to be just Kara Danvers.” The hero replied and Cat shuddered again when she felt Kara’s lips on her skin, at the back of her neck. 

“I’m still angry at you.” Cat’s tone was serious and lined with the remnants of her fears. 

“I know and it’s okay. Carter told me the same thing and even though Alex is trying to act as if everything was alright, I know it’s not. It will take time, for us to heal.” Kara’s voice sounded a little distant but confident, betraying her bubbly, optimistic nature that the events of the past year didn’t seem to alter. 

“It’s not your fault, we all know that but … “ Cat tried to justify her anger, feeling a little guilty for putting Kara through this but she couldn’t help it. 

“I know.” Kara simply said and Cat sighed when the hero’s arms closed a little tighter around her silhouette, breathing in the familiar scent and relaxing against the warm, soft skin. 

The brush of sunkissed curls upon her shoulder was the last thing she felt before she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**FIVE YEARS LATER**

“Mom, I’m home!”

Cat smiled and looked up to see Carter enter the living room and drop his bags next to one of the couches.

Casually dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a large gray sweater completed by some fancy black and gray sneakers, he was the walking cliché of a college student. The unruly dark blond curls of his hair were almost falling in front of his baby blue eyes and he had a clear stubble framing his lower face, making him look a little older than he actually was. He was tanned like a sailor, a golden hale darkening his usually pale features and giving him a more than healthy glow, a happy one.

“Hello sweetheart!” Cat greeted him warmly, getting up from behind her desk to walk up to him. He was much taller than her now, especially since she was barefoot but it didn’t stop her from engulfing her son in a tight hug, an embrace he happily returned. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

He laughed a little as they finally let go of each other. “Mom, I was here barely three weeks ago.” He pointed out, already making his way towards the kitchen. She followed him there and watched as he studied the content of the fridge, no doubt planning dinner already.

“I saw Supergirl speed away above the cab, I’m guessing she’s out on duty?” Carter inquired, pulling out some vegetables from the fridge and gathering everything on the counter island.

“Yes, something about a bank robbery, criminals never learn. You know you don’t have to cook, there are some perfectly fine leftovers in the freezer.” She arched an amused brow at the way he dismissed her suggestion, with a flourish of the hand she was more than familiar with.

“Nonsense. I’ve been trying to master the risotto recipe since last time and I think I finally did it. You guys are going to be my jury tonight.” He replied with a smirk while picking up a box of special rice in a cupboard.

Cat simply nodded and sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter island.

“How was the south of France?” She asked curiously. She smiled when his face lit up with joy and excitement and she waited for him to gather his thoughts. He was all grown up now but here and then, he still found himself struggling with words and social interactions.

“Amazing. I totally get why you went over there for your honeymoon, it’s so beautiful and rich, the smells, the food, the landscapes and the sea … I think I’ll go back next year. I’ve taken so many pictures, I practically filled two memory cards and they were big ones. I’ll show you guys after dinner, if you want to. Oh, I bought you a few bottles of that wine you liked so much, the one you had at your wedding.” Carter said with a smile, moving around the kitchen with the ease of someone who had grown up in it.

“Oh, thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you! Those fancy French people are so very protective with their wine, I never succeeded in having them send me a few bottles.” Cat stated with a discontempt edge in her voice. It made Carter smile but he didn’t add anything.

When it was evident they wouldn’t talk more for a while, Carter grabbed his phone and connected it to the sound system, filling the kitchen with French songs as he cooked the italian dish.

About an hour later, Kara flew into the living room and Carter’s eyes sparkled with a hint of relief at the sight of Supergirl, safe and sound in the middle of the penthouse. A blur later, he was wrapped into the too tight embrace of Kara’s arms.

“Uh. Kara. Too. Tight. Too tight!” He squeaked, almost choking under the strength of the hug.

“Oh, sorry! I just, missed you!” She released him and offered a sheepish smile, her arms already falling back to her side. He returned her smile and moved to hug her gently, before scrunching up his nose. She smelled like wind, earth and salt and something acrid he recognized as gunpowder.

“Alright, you need a shower. You smell like … bullets.” He stated and Kara heard the uneasy edge in his voice. She nodded and moved around the counter island to kiss Cat, softly and briefly, before disappearing towards the master bedroom.

He watched his mom relax a little after the kiss, knowing it was Kara’s way to let Cat know she was alright. It had been years since the day they buried an empty coffin but the traumatism was still lingering in her mother’s eyes sometimes, he could see it.

“Are you guys okay?” Carter softly asked as he poured more broth over the rice in the pan. He looked over his shoulder to meet his mother’s eyes and she smiled.

“We are. Sometimes, it’s hard and we fight but she’s doing her best, she’s trying.” Cat whispered, sounding a little tired but there was no hint of sadness or disappointment in her tone.

“That’s something, I guess.” Carter acknowledged. He was still having nightmares sometimes, dreaming of Kara’s body in the casket they had put into the ground or seeing Supergirl’s lifeless body fall from a green sky and crash into the sea, sinking into the darkness of the abyss. It’s been a long time but the scars were somehow still a little raw.

“Alright, I’m scrubbed clean!” Kara’s voice echoed through the room before she made her entrance, barefoot but wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a bright red t-shirt that exposed her left shoulder. Her hair was still a bit damp and cascading around her face and Carter noticed she wasn’t wearing her glasses.

“What’s for dinner, Chef?” Kara asked while settling down behind Cat, gently putting her arms around the other woman’s waist and resting her chin atop Cat’s right shoulder. 

“Champagne and mushrooms risotto, with green peas because mom loves seeing green in her plate.” Carter replied with a smirk. Kara chuckled and Cat narrowed her eyes at him but he simply smiled sweetly, before focusing back on the cooking.

A phone rang in the living room and Kara arched a surprised brow. She moved away from Cat to go pick it up and the first words made Carter and Cat whirl around to look at her, anxiety clear on both their faces.

“Clark? What’s wrong?” Kara asked, her voice calm and sure, steeled.

She was Supergirl now, with her posture straight, her shoulders squared and her features hard as marble. Her baby blues eyes were dark and sparkling, loss and duty swirling together to form a complex and intricate galaxy in itself.

She listened to her cousin and with each passing second, her eyes became darker and darker.

“Alright, I’ll alert the DEO and we’ll wait for you to come in, so you can brief us.” She finally hung up and in a blur of superspeed, she changed into her suit.

“Duty calls, I’m sorry for dinner.” She was trying to sound soft but the somber expression on her face was a stark and nonreassuring contrast.

Carter swallowed thickly, hating the feeling of impending doom that cloaked the scene.

He knew Superman never called unless it was something he couldn’t handle and there were very few things the last son of Krypton couldn’t deal with. Over the years, he had learned to like the man of steel for his heroism and for his nice personality but he had also heard a lot about the circumstances surrounding Kara’s arrival on Earth. The fact Superman had all but abandoned a little girl behind him to live with a human family instead of staying with her as the last vestige of a world that had been swallowed by the universe had made Clark Kent entirely less sympathetic to his eyes.

“Come back to us, okay?” Carter managed to ask, groaning inwardly at the panicked edge in his voice. He knew it was audible, for the superhero and for his mother as well.

Cat had gone still and her pale features betrayed her terror but she finally nodded and simply asked the same thing. “We’ll wait for you, for as long as you need us to, but please come back to us.”

Kara took three steps and captured Cat in a tight, tight embrace, so strong Carter almost heard his mother’s bones crack but she didn’t say anything. She instead reveled in the hug, needing the strength of Kara’s entire body pressing against her, surrounding her, swallowing her whole. She needed to smell the wind and the earth, that strange but grounding and familiar scent that clung to the superhero’s suit and wafted through the air with every movement of her hair.

When Kara kissed her, soundly, furiously and passionately, Cat all but moaned into the kiss, a mixture of relief and panic that quickly mutated into a strangled sob as she clenched her fingers into Kara’s cape, not yet ready to let go of her wife. The urgency of the situation was raw and blunt and unhealed scars were forced open again, because everyone in the room remembered all too well the last time it had been that serious.

Kara broke the kiss and gently nuzzled Cat’s nose, softly and tenderly, so sweetly it made Carter’s heart ache for them, for that incredible love he was witnessing.

“I’ll be back.” Kara whispered, before pressing a last lingering kiss on Cat’s lips. Then, without any warning or last goodbye, she was gone through the window and the flutter of her cape slapping in the wind echoed in the living room.

—

“Alright Superman, what are we dealing with this time?”

Director Henshaw was camped in the middle of the DEO’s headquarters, surrounded by Alex Danvers on his right and Lucy Lane on his left. Bouncing between the desks and typing away at differents keyboards at a time, Winn Schott was sending the information in live to the wall of screens. Lena Luthor was helping him, standing next to the main desk with a tablet in her hands and a bluetooth device hooked in her ear. Next to Lucy, James Olsen and Susan Vasquez were standing with their arms crossed over their chests, seriousness etched on their faces.

The hour was grave and all eyes, aside from Lena’s and Winn’s, were braked on the two kryptonians standing in front of the director.

“The Dominators are back but this time, they had help. As you all know by now, the Dominators are able to travel through time and space and they somehow got back to when Lex Luthor was still … reasonable.” Clark tried, throwing a sorry look towards Lena. She only shrugged and then returned back to her work, letting Superman continue.

”Now, I don’t know exactly how it went nor I know what exactly occurred between the aliens and Lex but I do know that today, they are all equipped with kryptonite devices that prevent me and Kara from getting to them. What’s worst is that the devices they have, they are far more evolved than anything I’ve seen before, making the suits we got from Astra & Non useless, and even Kalex doesn’t know about it, the Fortress of Solitude doesn’t have any shred of useful information regarding that new treat.” He finished, his frustration clear in his voice.

Kara sighed softly, causing Alex to arch a brow. The sisters exchanged a look but they didn’t say anything. J’onn took over, turning towards the wall of screens to look at the images Clark had managed to snap. 

“So, we have an army of alien invaders ready to take over the planet and they are all wearing some kind of … Kryptonite harness, that prevent the two most powerful superheroes to take action.” The director bowed his head slightly, observing the blurry photograph of a Dominator, wrapped in some kind of vest made of a bright green fabric. It was a static picture but they could all imagine the glow of the radioactive substance.

“I know they are the enemy but I have to give that to them, they are smart. They found your only weakness and they are now exploiting it. Where does that leave us now? Agent Danvers.” J’onn turned to look at Alex, who bit her lower lip in concentration.

It took a few seconds, barely a minute, before she sprung into action.

“Alright so, as far as we know, they are heading towards National City as we speak because for some reasons, Metropolis doesn’t seem as interesting to them. Which leads us to think there is something here they want, or need even. We can’t know for sure but my bet is that it has something to do with the technology they are wearing, it’s been made by a Luthor and the other ones are here.” Alex gestured towards Lena with an apologetic look.

“Right, there’s me and my mother, still in prison to answer her crimes and to pay for the Cadmus debacle.” Lena added without missing a beat, her eyes glued to the tablet in her hands.

“Exactly so, maybe the kryptonite device needs some work and they can’t get it done themselves or maybe my theory is wrong but in any case, they are on their way and we need to come up with a solution to, at the very least, contain them while we are working to create a neutralizer for the the kryptonite.” Alex took a breath and studied the images again, hands on her hips as she stood in front of the screens. “There are too many of them, we can’t just go with an electromagnetic gun or any kind of individual device. Winn, Lena, you’re in charge of the research, Doctor Danvers should get here within a few hours to help.”

They both nodded and finished their tasks in the main room before heading towards the lab.

“In the meantime, we need all the help we can get to fight the Dominators. Kara, can you reach out to your superhero teams on the other earths?” Alex asked and Kara nodded.

“I can try yes. Last time I talked to Barry, things were pretty calm over there. I can’t speak for Oliver though, the man seems to always find himself in the middle of some crisis.” Kara explained before pulling out Cisco’s device from her left boot.

“I may have some people I can reach after, too.” Clark interrupted and Kara arched a brow at him, imitated by Lucy, Alex and James.

“You mean, your league? I thought you liked to work alone?” Kara asked, a little confused and with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Yes well. Sometimes, I don’t exactly have a choice …” Clark simply answered and Lucy stepped in before Kara could press for more.

“We are not bringing any people we don’t know into the DEO and into this fight. Who are the ones you speak of?” The general asked, suspicious but trying to sound neutral.

“Batman, Aquaman, Cyborg and there’s a woman as well but I don’t know if she will join us. She’s … special.” Clark trailed off and Kara snickered. She shrugged and walked away.

“You can invite Bruce, Arthur and Victor, I know them.” She dropped before disappearing on the balcony, leaving a dumbfounded Clark behind her and a smirking team of DEO agents.

—

“Bruce, a pleasure as always.” Kara greeted the billionaire as he exited the DEO elevator. He was flanked with Arthur Curry on his left and Victor Stone on his right, all three of them showing serious faces.

“Supergirl, I knew we’d be working together someday.” Bruce answered with a small smirk, nodding at the other agents lined up behind the girl of steel. Acknowledging Superman, he simply gave him a short nod. “Clark, long time no see. Will our mutual friend join us for the fight?”

Clark sighed and then shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t answer my calls and you know how much she despises wars … aliens or not.”

Kara was about to ask who was the woman they were all speaking about when Susan came in running. “Supergirl, the Dominators landed on the outskirt of National City and are making their way towards the downtown!”

Kara instantly went into hero mode. “How many?”

“At least five hundred but we think it’s only the first squadron, more are probably on the way.” Susan dutifully answered.

Kara nodded and took a second to think before speaking again. “Alright it’s show time. Tell Agent Danvers to send every DEO force available to form a barrage between the outskirts and downtown, they are to protect the civilians at any cost. More superheros are on the way as well and as soon as they arrive, send them in my direction.”

Susan nodded and then took off towards the main operation room while Kara turned to face the others heroes.

“Long story short, the Dominators are wearing Kryptonite devices that makes it impossible for Clark and I to get close to them. You are it. The Green Arrow and some friends of him are on the way but in the meantime … Clark and I will help the DEO to protect the civilians, while you will be trying to contain the progression of the Dominators. Our research team is trying to come up with a weapon to neutralize the Kryptonite but until they do, we are forced to help from afar. Any question?” Kara finished, hands on her hips, looking into the eyes of each of the men standing in front of them. They all shook their heads no.

“Alright then. Suit up, it’s show time. Make sure you have a communication device to be connected to our team all the time, they will send you the coordinates of the fight. Clark and I are going now, meet us there.”

After one last look, Kara sped through the windows and took off to the sky, closely followed by Clark.

—

They were losing.

The suburbs was almost entirely destroyed, there were thrown cars shattered on the side of cracked open road, crumbled buildings of which the ruins were used as projectiles in the fight and a heavy, lasting cloud of hot dust was making it harder to see clearly.

The Dominators weren’t that hard to defeat but for one killed, three more were coming down from the numerous spaceships hovering above the desert, just underneath the few clouds that were starting to darken the perfectly blue summer sky.

The air smelled like blood, sweat, sand and salt, like dust and the characteristic metallic scent that announced a storm.

They had been at it for hours now but the outcome was getting more and more compromised, with each passing minute.

Batman was fighting on the left flank of the raging war, Aquaman using the sea on the right end and Cyborg, helped by J’onn J’onzz, the Green Arrow, the white Canary, the black Canary and a bunch of what seemed to be street fighters, were taking care of the middle. When a few Dominators managed to get past the line of defense, Clark and Kara used their heat vision or freezing breath to kill them from afar but the Dominators were relentless.

“Susan, are Felicity, Winn and Lena getting any closer to a solution for the Kryptonite? We’re losing here, the Dominators are outnumbering us and it’s starting to show …” Kara asked in her communicating device, while surveying a building to see if it was entirely evacuated before flying to another, making sure the suburb was now deserted, just in case the army of invaders managed to get through.

She waved to Lucy, down on the streets with all her regiments in stand by, ready to intervene should it be needed. The general waved her back.

“None, Supergirl. Agent Danvers just came back with Doctor Danvers, hopefully they will be able to come up with something.” Susan’s voice sounded as neutral as ever but Kara heard the tiny shard of skepticism in it.

“Supergirl, I have Cat Grant online, she wants to speak to you.” Susan suddenly said and Kara felt her heart squeeze in her chest. She knew Cat was probably worried sick as she watched the news unfold on her TV. She could hear CatCo choppers from where she was hovering, they were flying at a reasonably safe distance from the fight.

“Alright, cut the other channels and transfer her to me please, thank you Susan.” Kara asked before slowly flying back to Clark, who was surveying the fight from afar with a frustrated look on his face. She understood what he was feeling, she was boiling with anger and helplessness as well.

“Cat.” She greeted when she heard the ragged breathing of her lover.

“Kara. How … How are you?” Cat asked, barely calming down at the sound of the girl of steel’s voice.

“I’m fine. I’m … I can’t exactly get close, so I am safe.” Kara managed to say without sounding too bitter. She assumed Cat was extremely relieved with the situation, since she couldn’t get to the heart of the fight.

“I know. I’m sorry, Kara.” Cat whispered and Kara sighed. It was a recurring theme since the traumatism that had occurred almost six years ago now. Kara knew and understood why Cat was so scared every time she donned the Supergirl suit but she was also tired of having to argue with Cat that it was who she was.

“How’s Carter?” Kara changed of subject to avoid getting into a new argument, not when everyone around her was fighting for the survival of the whole world.

“He’s watching.” Kara heard the young man talk on the other side of the line and she chuckled at his words.

“Tell him I’ll do my best to get him Arthur’s autograph.” She answered, knowing it was Carter’s way to de-dramatize the situation. Cat let out a skeptical sound but she relayed the information.

“I have to go, Cat. I need to make sure this part of the city is deserted, just in case the Dominators get past us.” Kara gently explained and she winced when she heard Cat’s breath hitch, knowing exactly what image had flooded the woman’s mind.

“I’ll be alright, I promise. Alex, Eliza, Felicity and Winn, helped by Lena, are working on a way to neutralize the Kryptonite device and I asked them to also come up with something to blow the spaceships up. Once the research team comes through, we will win this war.” She elaborated with as much details as she could, in the hope it would calm Cat’s fears a little.

“I know. Alex called, to let me know. She … does that, now, since … since last time.” Cat said and Kara felt grateful for Alex’s thoughtfulness.

“I love you, Cat. I’ll come back to you. I always do.” Kara blurted and she practically heard the smile that graced Cat’s lips at those words.

“You better. I love you too. Please, be careful.” Cat said and she ended the call. Kara smiled and reached to her ear to find Susan’s channel again.

“Alright, any idea to cause a breakthrough into this war? The team need some rest, they’re going to fall if we don’t do anything.” Kara asked while looking at Batman, who just took a blow from two Dominators and was now flying backward through the air. He crashed down into the ground a few miles away, sliding into the burning asphalt before managing to get back to his feet. He stumbled a little but he valiantly got back to the fight. 

“Actually, Lena Luthor is here and she wants to talk to you, I’m transferring her.” Susan explained and the next voice Kara heard was Lena’s.

“Kara, I have an idea but it’s only temporary. It should buys us a few hours top …” The CEO trailed off and Supergirl groaned slightly. She was used to the way Lena’s mind was working but now wasn’t the time for this.

“Lena, we don’t have time for this. What’s the idea?” Kara urged her friend and the Luthor instantly got back to her explanation.

“I noticed that each time one of your team killed a Dominators, more were coming down from the spaceships. I managed to have Winn hack, sort of, into one of the ships to understand how it works and from what I’ve gathered, we can stop the influx of Dominators for a time.” Lena stated and Kara heard the sound of fingers typing away at a keyboard. “I had Lucy deliver me a military EMP and I modified it to enhance its abilities so, if you or one of your team manage to make it explode under the spaceships, it should break their systems for five hours. Now, it won’t kill the spaceships because they are way too advanced for me to understand the basics just yet but …”

“Lena, Lena. No ramblings, get to the point. This EMP, it has to detonate under the spaceships and then they can’t … generate, more Dominators, for a span of five hours, right?” Kara cut in, gesturing for Clark to come closer. Superman gently flew to her while keeping an eye on the fight.

“Exactly. Alex is on her way with the EMP, I programmed it with a remote so, once it’s in place, you just have to press a button to detonate it. It’s incredibly powerful so, it will definitely blow up the power in National City but every major building has a backup generator so it should be safe.” Lena finished.

Kara observed Clark without seeing him for a few seconds before speaking again. “Alright Lena, before I detonate the device, have Cat order the anchors in her channels to let the people know what will happen. She doesn’t need to provide them with details, she simply needs to let the people of National City know they will be without power for a while, that way they can organize a minimum. I’m going to break it to the team, have Susan let me know when Alex is around.” Kara said and she hung up, instantly connecting with the rest of the team to explain the plan.

—

Alex arrived half an hour later with the EMP securely fastened in the back of her truck. It was a huge cylindrical machine with a lots of colorful wires and a few buttons and switches.

“Here’s the remote. The trick is to bring it under the spaceships. Throwing a car full speed won’t work because the Dominators will have plenty of time to stop it beforehand. Flying here is impossible, the ships are individually protected by an electromagnetic field lined with Kryptonite, it would weaken Clark and you and you wouldn’t be able to make it back.” Alex explained, exiting her car next to Lucy as Kara and Clark landed nearby.

Kara reached to her ear and reached out to Batman.

“Bruce, any chance you have a batplane or something ready that could bring the EMP right where we need it?” She asked. She sighed at the answer and then thanked Bruce before cutting the line.

“Nothing that will work, the EMP needs to be handled properly and dropping it from above will only damage it.” Kara sighed again in frustration. She was tired of watching everyone else fight but her and the feeling of helplessness surrounding her was driving her crazy.

“None of the heroes can manage to get it there, they are barely holding the lines. Clark and I can’t get any closer than here and you guys won’t stand a chance in the middle of their army.” Kara added and she gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a plan.

“How about a distraction?” Lucy suddenly chimed in and the smug smile on her face was almost comical, given the situation.

“Go on?” Kara invited her to state her plan, knowing she could trust the General to come up with something good.

“So far, we didn’t use the army but I have a bunch of choppers and military planes in stand by, I can launch them onto the spaceships to try to bug them. Enough to create a distraction that should give you an opportunity to go there …” Kara was about to remind her she couldn’t go near Kryptonite but Lucy waved her off. “I know, I know but look, last time you …” Everyone threw Lucy a dark look at what she was evoking.

“Last time, you managed to throw yourself at a being full of radioactive Kryptonite to launch the both of you into the sky. I’m guessing this time is closer, in circumstances. Clark can propulse you towards the location while you hold the EMP and then you just, put it there and detonate it. It won’t harm you, it will just cut any communication. You will have to find a way to extract yourself from under the spaceships but since the EMP will shut down any magnetic field, you won’t be bothered by the Kryptonite. Not from the ships anyway … Only with the devices they are wearing. You can get to the back of the battlefield and escape.”

Kara thought about the plan for a few seconds, letting Clark and Alex protest that it was too dangerous and that it should be another way.

“There isn’t another way. I’ll do it. Did Cat broadcast the news already?” Kara asked and Lucy nodded, checking on her phone before looking back up. Alex was glaring at her girlfriend but Lucy stood her ground.

“Clark, you’re going to throw me as soon as the choppers are distracting the ships. I’ll get the EMP in place and detonate it. Then the team will have to get rid of the remaining Dominators before we retreat to the DEO to figure something more … definitive. We’ll leave the army to keep an eye on the ships, if that’s okay with you Luce?” Lucy nodded and Kara turned to Clark to see if he was going to get along.

“Why can’t it be me, who places the EMP?” Superman protested, arms crossed over his chest in his usual posture. Kara didn’t miss a beat. “You’re not fast enough.”

He was about to protest again but Kara threw him a warning look and he kept his mouth shut.

“Alright, Lucy call your teams and I’ll put mine up to date. Alex, I need you to go back to the DEO to help find a way to neutralize the Kryptonite devices they are wearing. We need all the help we can get …” Kara implored, knowing Alex was about to refuse to leave her side. It took a little more pushing but the older Danvers finally relented and borrowed one of Lucy’s army cars to return to the headquarters. 

Lucy went away to give orders and Kara sighed once more, before opening the multi-channels line to inform the heroes of the plan.

—

“You can’t possibly agree to that plan!” Cat hissed in the phone as she paced the space in between her two couches, closely followed by Carter’s gaze. The line stayed silent for a few seconds before Alex’s voice came through again, echoing in the living room. Cat had put her phone on speaker the moment Alex had called, not wanting to keep her son in the dark.

“I don’t exactly have a choice. It’s the only one we have and she is hell-bent on executing it. You, better than anyone else including me, know how hard it is to make her bulge when she has an idea in mind.” Alex grumbled and the sound of an engine racing drowned her voice for a few seconds.

“Oh, we know Alex, don’t worry, we know. You say it’s a relatively safe plan, can you detail it one more time for us, please? Also, do you need help to neutralize the Kryptonite device? I can totally swing by the DEO and lean a hand …” Carter jumped in before his mother could yell some more. She was so tense he could see the muscle of her jaw work every time she gritted her teeth a little harder.

“Alright so, Clark is going to throw Kara, who will be holding the EMP, right under the spaceships where she will detonate it. It will shut down any electromagnetic activity so she won’t be bothered by the shields around the spaceships. Once she has detonated the EMP, she only has to escape by the back of the battlefield to avoid any kind of contact with Kryptonite and she’ll join us at the DEO right after.” Alex explained and Carter scrunched his face when he heard the stretching of tires on the road.

“Don’t get into any accident, it wouldn’t do any good to the team.” Carter warned and Alex must have sensed he was serious because she mumbled something like a curse before slowing down.

“Actually Carter, if your mother’s up for it, we could indeed use your help to come up with something, to neutralize the Kryptonite harnesses.” Alex finally said, hesitancy clear in her voice. Carter looked up to meet his mother’s eyes and she sighed before nodding.

“I want to be there too. I know I can’t help but I want to stay with Carter,” Cat said and Alex chuckled lightly.

“Of course you would. I already cleared it with Director Henshaw, you’re both awaited at the DEO. I’ll meet you there.” The older Danvers hung up and Carter simply went to retrieve his phone and a tablet from one of the bags before stating he was ready.

The ride to the DEO was silent and tense, Cat trying her best to stay composed and Carter already checking his DEO tablet for the properties of the Kryptonite, to see if there was something exploitable in it.

He’d been working with the DEO on several occasions ever since he entered MIT, at the tender age of seventeen. Like Alex, he had taken an interest on bioengineering but he was also tempted by a career as a photographer and he was already doing some side work for some big travel magazines and National Geographic as well, during his holidays and his free time. 

It took barely a full second for them to realize something was wrong, when they exited the elevator in the main room of the DEO.

—

The blast of the detonation shook the whole world and it made the spaceships above her head sway, dangerously so. Still weak from all the Kryptonite she’d been thrown through, Kara managed to stand up and to take a few steps towards the back of the battlefield, longing for the desert and it safety.

Suddenly, thunder echoed across the sky and rolled on for a few noticeable seconds before the heavy clouds that had gathered around during the fight broke free, causing a heavy and diluvian rain to drench the world.

That’s when Kara realized she wasn’t going to make it out alive.

She was a sun powered alien and to her, the dark thick sky meant death. Especially when she was still reeling from all the Kryptonite radiations her body just went through.

“Crap.” Kara cursed, feeling her bones crack and tremble, the weight of her own body catching up with her wary muscles and making it harder to even walk. She had counted on her superspeed to be able to get away from the battlefield, at last, but it was now out of question.

“Shit,” She cussed again, noticing a squadron of Dominators heading her way.

The Kryptonite halo was glowing green in the apocalyptical scene, not even diminished by the curtain of rain. Kara tried her best to walk away but the Dominators were faster and she was weakening with every passing second. She knew she only needed to buy herself some time until one of the heroes could find her but by the look of it all, she wasn’t going to stay alive long enough for that to happen.

She started feeling dizzy and when she swallowed a mouthful of rain, she almost choked on it. Coughing and then wheezing, she fell to her knees into the wet sand and thought about the words she had last said to Cat.

They now sounded terribly empty as they echoed in mind.

—

“It’s raining. There’s no sun over there, she’s not going to make it!” Winn was frantically repeating those words, panicking over the loss of communication.

Alex elbowed him hard in the ribs when she noticed Cat approaching the circle of desks, flanked by Carter. “Shut up, they’re here.” She mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to school her features into a neutral expression.

From Cat’s arched brow and Carter’s pointed look, she must have failed.

“Hum, we’re encountering some … unexpected issues with the plan.” Alex stammered, trying to find a way to broach the news without causing the Grants to panic like Winn.

“Do not, sugarcoat it.” Cat warned, her voice colder than ice itself. Her green eyes were sparkling with a mixture of fear and anger and Alex couldn’t help the feeling of déjà-vu that snuck into the back of her head.

It started to rain, right after she detonated the EMP. She has no power and the field of Kryptonite she’s been thrown across probably left her feeling very weak. We don’t know how she’s going to make it out alive.” Alex finally said, her voice becoming a whisper towards the end.

“God damnit.” Carter cursed and when his mother didn’t even scold him for his language, he knew it was even worst than expected. Cat’s face had gone white and she was pursing her lips into a thin, very thin line.

“I can’t believe she’s doing it again.” She finally whispered, her tone devoid of all emotion but lined with a bitter edge. Carter winced, knowing that calm was ten times worse than an angry fit but he stayed silent.

“We are hoping she can buy herself enough time for the team to reach her, since we know the EMP served its purpose. They can’t send more Dominators down on Earth but the ones that are already here need to be defeated …” Alex explained before turning to Winn to give him some orders to follow.

“She better come back to us.” Cat whispered and Carter let out a subtle relieved sigh when he saw the sparkle of hope shine in his mother’s eyes.

—

The world around her was blurred and swaying under her unsteady feet.

The rain falling hard on her trembling limbs was rolling down her face and some drops were relentlessly getting into her eyes, scrambling her vision in addition to the Kryptonite radiations she could feel approaching her heavy body.

The wet sand under her hands was fleeing in between her fingers and the weight of her exhausted silhouette, drenched in sweat and rain, was causing the ground to dip and fall, threatening to swallow her whole. She knew the Dominators were too close now, she knew everything was lost but all she could feel was a crushing guilt. She had already gone beyond the angry phase, now she was just sad and guilty of putting Cat and Carter through this again. The unpleasant feeling was making her stomach churn and squeeze inside of her chest, even more so than the green radioactive substance getting closer with every new step of the Dominators.

They were barely ten feet away now, at least two dozen if the strength of the Kryptonite glow was anything to go by.

She was too weak to even protect herself. She closed her eyes and tried to gather the remains of what was left of her strength but she only managed to stand on her knees, her soiled fingers closing into trembling fists by her sides.

She could feel her veins burn with the radiations, coursing through her whole face, chasing the blood away and she knew that, more than ever, she looked like an alien, emerald cracks breaking the marble of her features.

She saw the silhouettes of the Dominators getting more defined, under the curtain of rain, blurred and sickeningly green but determinate. They were marching towards her, not even running, they knew they had her. The thunder above her head rolled again, strong and loud, making the world shake a little and she smiled, despite her oncoming death. She always loved the rain.

She closed her eyes and waited for the first blow but it never came.

—

She heard the sounds of a fight, blunt and brutal, fists breaking bones and punching through alien flesh, alien goo splashing over the sand despite the noise of the heavy rain and then, the voice of a woman echoed in her ears, familiar but distant like the soft echo of a long forgotten dream.

The Kryptonite was still cloaking the air, heavy and paralyzing, preventing her to really move but she managed to raise her head to look up.

She barely discerned the silhouette of a woman wearing a sparkling armor made of metal and steel, bright and fierce. She noticed drenched brown curls that somehow still flew with every kick and punch and a golden band was slightly glowing on her forehead. She was too weak to make out any kind of features but something in the back of her head told her she knew her, whoever the woman was.

Minutes passed, one by one but slowly, the glowing radiations of the Kryptonite diminished and she felt the sickness leave her limbs. She wasn’t healing because it was still raining and the lack of sun was getting in the way of her powers but at least, she was regaining mobility.

It took another handful of minutes that seemed like a small eternity to her, to finally be able to stand up. She swayed dangerously, still unsteady and the wet sand giving up a little under her weight but she stood her ground, fighting for it.

Eventually, the Dominators were all dead and the Kryptonite harnesses out of service.

“You always end up in the most critical situations, Kara … Is that your brand or something? It’s not very wise if it is.” The voice echoed behind her.

She turned, not too fast because she still felt a bit nauseous but then she was met with a pair of brown eyes that sparkled with something like amusement and joy, the kind of joy that could be found in the eyes of a kid on Christmas Eve, pure and simple.

“Diana!” Kara all but squealed, happiness flooding her body as she threw herself at the woman’s neck, hugging her as tightly as her weak state allowed her.

“Diana? I thought …” Bruce’s voice chimed in and Kara released her friend to watch the team approach.

They looked exhausted, all of them. The green arrow and his friends were all showing various kind of wounds and J’onn was holding his right arm in a way that suggested it was seriously injured, broken maybe. Bruce and Arthur were covered in rain, blood and sand and they were both holding an unconscious Cyborg, whose arms and legs were in dire need of some repairs, from the sparkles that buzzed in the air near the limbs. Only Superman looked in shape as he landed near Batman but his expression told her how much he despised having to stay back.

“Diana. Glad you could join us.” Clark greeted, a coldness in his tone Kara wasn’t familiar with. She threw him a weird look but he purposely didn’t meet her eyes.

“I despise wars but I couldn’t let the people I’ve come to consider as a part of my family fight without me so … I came.” Diana turned to answer the billionaire, ignoring Superman and causing a thin smirk to grace Bruce’s lips.

“I’m glad you came. I take it you already know Supergirl …” He noticed, arching a brow at the younger Danvers and Kara sighed.

“Long story, I’ll explain later. For now, let’s go back to the DEO, we need some rest and a medical team is ready to treat any kind of injury that might need care. I need to regain my powers as well, so … let’s go. Lucy’s army is going to watch over the spaceships for us.” Kara explained, feeling the exhaustion settle in her bones for good, making her sway again. Diana gently reached to hold her by the elbow and Kara threw her a grateful look.

“Alright. Let’s meet there. Diana, are you coming too?” Bruce asked with a hint of hope in his voice, causing the rest of the team to look at him with surprise. It wasn’t often the Batman sounded anything else than grim or moody.

“I am, yes. I’ll take Kara there, she can’t fly.” Diana simply answered, already moving to carry her friend.

Before Kara could protest, Diana jumped into the rainy sky and towards National City.

—

Cat was used to be informed of everything in real time and sometimes, even before everyone else. Knowledge was power and she lived by those words, since she literally made a living of being informed and informing others.

The absence of information was driving her mad and crazy Cat Grant was even more snappish and sarcastic than normal Cat. Carter knew that better than anyone and when he saw Alex pinch the bridge of her nose and take a deep breath after Cat asked for the thousandth time if they had any news, making a pointed comment about incompetence and laziness, he jumped in.

“Mom. Come on. Be nice, they are doing their best. Winn is literally soaked through with sweat and he’s still trying to find a way to communicate with Supergirl and the team, even though the EMP that detonated makes it literally impossible. Don’t be mean, they don’t need it right now.” He said with a gentle smile but a firm tone, not wanting his mother to think she was entitled to her impossible behavior. It might be the case in CatCo’s offices but here at the DEO, she was a guest and by the flames burning in Alex’s eyes, she was about to be thrown off the building.

Everyone’s limits were stretching thin.

Cat glared at him but stayed silent, realizing he was right. She didn’t apologize but she gave Alex an apologetic look. They all knew it was all they would get, Cat being both too tense and too proud to offer more.

“We really are doing our best, Cat.” Alex simply added before walking away to talk to Winn.

“Where is Guardian?” Cat asked, causing the older Danvers to stop and to whirl around to face Cat.

“He’s helping evacuating more civilians, working hand in hand with Lucy’s regiments. Why?” Alex asked with a warning edge in her tone.

“Business.” Cat simply answered and Carter inwardly groaned. There it was, Cat’s defiant attitude that was about to push Alex beyond what was tolerable.

The older Danvers was clearly about to snap back at the CEO when the sound of a hard landing made them turn around.

All eyes widened at the sight of Kara being protectively held by a tall woman in armor, a sword attached on one side and a folded lasso on the other, with large metallic handcuffs protecting her wrists and wearing a pair of heavy boots that had caused the concrete to crack under their strength.

There was no doubt the woman was not human, despite her look.

She was beauty itself, with her perfectly chiseled features, her proud and royal posture, with her raised chin and the thousand worlds showing in her deep brown eyes as drenched curls were freely framing her face.

“Hello.” She said as if she was simply greeting a gathering of people that was expecting her.

“You can let go of me, now, you know?” Kara mumbled, a slight pout on her face as she tried to walk towards her sister. The woman gently curled her fingers around Supergirl’s forearms and helped her down the few steps that separated the superhero and her people.

“You’re too weak, let me help you.” The woman insisted with a softness in her voice that reminded Alex of Alura’s voice, the one she had heard so many time while working on the hologram.

“Hm, excuse me but, who the hell are you?” Alex all but growled, a nasty sting of jealousy lining her voice as she glared at the woman. She didn’t like the way the intruder was so close with her sister and she felt oddly threatened.

A single glance towards Cat told her she wasn’t alone.

“Everyone, meet Diana of Themyscira.” Kara simply said with a bright smile as she leant on her friend’s touch.

Carter arched a surprised brow before taking a few cautious steps towards the stranger, who looked curiously at him.

“Diana, this is Carter Grant.” Kara introduced them as Carter hesitantly snuck out a hand to be polite. He was dying to ask questions but he could also feel the burning heat of her mother’s look bore a hole in the back of his neck and he knew it wasn’t reasonable, that he had to tread lightly here.

“Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you. Thank you, for saving Kara’s life, all those years ago.” Carter simply said with a smile. The smile Diana returned to him was blinding and she engulfed him into a tight hug that reminded him of Kara’s ones.

“Ooof, I see you have super strength too … too tight, too tight!” He squeaked, silently wondering how much pressure his bones could take before they finally broke.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I haven’t been in the real world for that long, I’m still struggling a little with calculating the right amount of force … And to understand the customs and the social rules. I hope I didn’t offend you, I am sorry if I did, I have to remember not everyone likes to be touched …” She startled rambling a little and it made him laugh. He could totally see the resemblance between her and Kara, their behaviors weren’t that different after all.

“It’s perfectly alright, Miss …” He stopped, unsure of how to call the woman standing in front of him.

“Oh please, call me Diana! Anything for Kara’s friends!” She supplied with another bright smile. He marveled for a second at how beautiful she was before coughing a little and shaking his head to get back in track.

“I’m used to Kara’s hugs now, she’s a hugger too. Are you an alien, also?” He wondered out loud, admiring the armor and the way the gold and silver of the metals were glowing slightly.

“Not exactly. I am a demi-goddess, born out of the love between an Amazon and a God.” Diana explained without getting into the details but Carter gaped at her, totally in awe now.

“Ahem. Not to break this lovely little scene but there’s a war raging outside and the team has just gotten here, they are riding the elevator as we speak …” Alex chimed, her tone barely a little warmer than when she had asked Diana to introduce herself.

“Alex, don’t be rude.” Kara warned her before escaping Diana’s grasp to stumble towards Cat, who had stayed silent for the whole exchange.

She hesitantly reached to put her arms around the CEO and Cat, for all the jealousy boiling in her veins and the mixed feelings she was experiencing for the intruder, closed the distance and sagged against her wife’s body..

They stayed silent for a moment, the whole world fading away around them as they breathed into each other’s scent. Kara was reeking of blood, sand and that characteristic scent that followed the summer rain everywhere but she was alive and relatively safe. Cat chose to focus on the feeling of her wife’s arms around her and the solid chest in which she buried her face.

When they came back to the real world, after a short but desperate kiss, the team was already heading towards the medical bay, lead by Alex. Carter was hanging back near his mother, protective despite his obvious curiosity. Diana was still there as well, studying the main operation room with great interest.

“What is this place?” She asked to no one in particular but it made Carter jump a little, as if she had troubled the course of his thoughts. 

“Hm, it’s called the DEO, it stands for Department of Extranormal Operations and it’s a branch of the government that deal with every kind of aliens matters … Director Henshaw is in charge, he’s … it’s the human form of the Green Martian you saw, the one with the broken arm.” Carter studied Diana’s features to see if she was following. When she nodded, he nodded too and continued.

“It was first created when Superman landed on Earth, years ago but now Supergirl is working with them, she’s more peaceful and she actually stands for the alien rights.” Carter proudly stated, a soft smile on his lips.

Cat heard him and she smiled too, followed by Kara.

“Why thank you, Carter. Would you like to follow us to the medical bay? I need to rest under the sun powered bed to regain my powers but you can stay around.” Kara explained with a smile, looking at Diana.

The woman nodded and fell in step with the little group, still looking everywhere with the eagerness of a child written all over her face.

—

“How comes you’re not in Themyscira anymore?” Kara asked from under the sun lamps overlooking her whole body.

“After you left, I realized the world wasn’t exactly as my mother let me think it was. I had lived a protected life, on the island and I wanted to … do something. So I left.” Diana answered and the heavy edge in her tone let Kara know there was more to the story.

“I never heard of you until now, but Superman and Batman seem to know you …” Kara turned her head to watch as a look of anger flashed through Diana’s eyes.

“I’ve run into them before. I more or less joined their secret team, they call themselve the Justice League …” Diana slowly explained and Kara nodded, Clark having mentioned it once or twice in passing, without elaborating. They didn’t talk as much anymore.

“Wait, yes, you’re the one they call Wonder Woman, right?” Carter chimed in from his seat next to Kara’s bed. Kara arched a brow and Diana sighed.

“Yes, they gave me that name but I usually go by Diana Prince. It’s easier than to explain my lineage and the fact Zeus is my father. From what I’ve gathered, humans are not kind to people they don’t understand.”Diana replied with a grim look on her face.

Two audible gasps made Kara and Diana turn their faces towards the Grants, who were both gasping at Diana.

“Zeus … Zeus is your … father?” Carter stammered, struggling to make sense of the words he had just heard and Diana rolled her eyes slightly. A soft but amused smile graced her lips as she replied “Yes, Zeus is my father. See, Supergirl is an alien from outer space but somehow, believing I’m the daughter of a God sounds even crazier to you.”

“I … Yes.” Carter gave up on trying to argue about it, still figuring how to wrap his mind around the fact he was standing next to Zeus’s daughter.

“I’m sorry, it’s a lot to take in … What does that make you, though? I mean, surely, you have some kind of title, with such a … divine, lineage?” Cat asked, curiosity taking over the surprise as her journalistic instincts kicked in. It made Kara smile broadly.

“I am technically a princess, yes, hence the choice of last name in this human world … There are some pieces of me I still can’t let go of.” Diana softly answered, the nostalgia clear in her voice.

“How long have you been in the … human world?” Cat asked next, leaning forward in the chair she had placed next to Carter, closer to Kara’s bed.

“About two years now. I do try to keep a low profile, for I am still getting used to how to navigate … people.” Diana replied, amused by Cat’s interest. “I believe we haven’t been properly introduced, however. I know you are Carter’s mother and Kara’s sweetheart but none of that explains your interest for my person …” Diana tilted her head to the side in a gesture that was so similar to Kara, Cat felt a little dizzy at all the ressemblances piling up between the two extraordinary women.

“Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo worldwide Media, journalist at heart.” Cat simply offered, still a little weary of the woman in front of her.

“Grant … I think Lois, Superman’s sweetheart, said something about you once …” Diana frowned and Cat smirked while Carter and Kara groaned out loud.

“I would certainly hope so, yes. Lois and I have some kind of … old feud, going on. We started at the same place, years ago, but our paths eventually diverged and now, you could say we are the best rivals ever.” Cat explained, the smug smile never leaving her face.

“Yet it sounds like you care about her, deeply.” Diana softly stated and Carter’s eyes widened comically. Kara coughed loudly enough to try to divert the women’s attention but neither of them budged.

“Oh really. How could you possibly know about that?” Cat asked with narrowed eyes, not smiling anymore.

“Call it empathy … Or simply the fact Lois said you were one of her closest friends.” Diana smirked and it left Cat speechless, which was something to witness in itself.

Kara was about to talk to try to make a diversion when Alex barged into the room, holding a medical chart in one hand and a coffee in the other, a pen tucked between her ear and half a cereal bar in her mouth.

She put the chart on a table beside the sun powered bed and ate the rest of her bar before narrowing her eyes at Diana, still not entirely warmed up at the idea of a demi-goddess walking around her baby sister.

“Alright. The team is patched up as much as possible, they are resting a little. I gave them a full hour and then we have a meeting in the main operation room, to elaborate a plan. You rest too.” Alex ordered her sister before turning to Carter.

“Carter, we are going to focus back on a device to neutralize the Kryptonite, I need your help. Felicity, Winn, Lena and my mother are still working on it as we speak but we need all hands on the deck.” She explained with a glance towards Cat to make sure it was okay. Cat nodded and Carter instantly stood up to follow Alex out of the medical bay.

“I think she doesn’t like me very much.” Diana said, her voice sounding a little small but without her features betraying any of her feelings.

“She’s very protective of Kara. It took her years to get used to me as … Kara’s sweetheart, as you so eloquently put it.” Cat snorted. Diana threw her a curious look but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned towards Kara.

“I can understand the wariness and the protectiveness but jealousy?” Diana gently shook her head, reprobating so.

“Look Diana, the human world isn’t always pretty.” Kara started, not letting Cat the time to answer. ”There are what I call ugly emotions and behaviors, like pettiness, jealousy, cruelty … People aren’t always nice and kind, they don’t alway show goodness of heart. It’s what makes them beautiful, you know? Flaws. Humanity is flawed but most of the people … They try to do good, they fail, they try again. You have some rotten souls going around, irredeemable ones but for the most part, they are good people.” Kara gently explained, seriousness echoing in her voice with a heavy edge that came from having witnessed the destruction of her whole world.

“My people, Kryptonians I mean, were also flawed, pride being the most dangerous flaw of them all and it lead to the destruction of my whole world. Here, humans are sometimes trying to get in the way, to gain more power, to hurt others but those are a minority. I have faith in them, you know. As long as they keep trying, I will always believe in them.” Kara finished with a soft, so very soft, smile, despite the sadness sparkling in her deep blue eyes.

For a moment, no one talked and then Diana smiled, softly.

“Thank you. Now you rest, we’ll be here when you wake up.” She gently ordered, stroking Kara’s face with the tip of her fingers. There was something so gentle and tender in the way she touched Supergirl, Cat didn’t even think to protest. She could see it wasn’t threatening, edging more towards a maternal kind of love than a romantic one.

Kara smiled lazily and then turned her eyes to look at Cat, on the other side of the bed. Exhaustion was clearly taking over but she still managed to reach a hand to cup her wife’s chin to bring her closer, claiming a soft but fierce kiss.

Minutes later, Kara was sound asleep and Cat was still smiling from the kiss.

—

“Thank you, for saving Kara again today.” Cat broke the silence half an hour later, muffling a yawn behind her free hand. The other one was closed around Kara’s fingers and she wasn’t letting go of them, needing the contact to ground her, to remind her her wife was alright and here.

“I should have gotten here sooner.” Diana replied with a hard edge in her words.

“Why weren’t you? Here sooner, I mean.” Cat bluntly asked, curious but not aggressive. 

“I … It is a little ironic actually. I come from an island of warriors, the Amazons. My whole life, I’ve been training for war but the place was actually the most peaceful one you could think of. The women live in harmony there, training to be warriors because it’s our legacy, our lineage and our purpose but we never had to actually fight a war, not in a long time. The last one was when the Gods were fighting their siblings and it was centuries ago …” Diana explained, her voice echoing with the mythical inflexion her emotions gave to the story. 

“Centuries? How old are you, exactly?” Cat frowned, wondering not for the first time where the similarities between Kara and the strange goddess would stop. 

“It’s impossible to count, in human quantity at least. I’m older than time itself and yet, in this world, I might as well be a newborn. I even had to learn babies weren’t made out of clay, like I had been …” Diana couldn’t help the little amused smile at the way Cat gasped at her last words. 

“Yes it made for an awkward conversation but I am getting used to them, with everything I have to learn and discover …” She enchained with something like melancholy lining her voice. 

“I would imagine so, yes.” Cat nodded, regaining her composure but openly staring at the other woman. 

“Kara explained her arrival to me and in some way … I am a little like her now, learning every day about how the human world is … The difference is, my world isn’t as flawed as her was, as this one is.” Diana gestured around in an attempt to seize the meaning of her world. 

“Humanity is a never ending mystery, yes.” Cat simply stated, understanding it could be overwhelming for someone who had been living forever in a place where the raw ugliness of the world was a foreign concept. 

“I think you found the less flawed person on Earth and she’s an alien. It says a lot …” Diana whispered, looking at Kara with something close to adoration. 

“Is that why she is so precious to you?” Cat asked, curious to understand the strange bond between the extraordinary women. 

“She reminds me of home.” Diana simply responded, her voice barely above a breath but Cat heard the words loud and clear. The tone, lined with love, admiration and a profound sadness, was of someone who had lost something.

She knew it for having noticed the same inflexion in Kara’s voice whenever she talked about her planet. 

They didn’t talk after that, both waiting in silence for Kara to wake up.

—

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” Supergirl sighed as Winn brought another glass board, covered in formulas and scientific writings she was too tired to focus on, into the main operation room. 

“So, Felicity came up with an idea to shut down the ships for good. Since the EMP worked so well for the magnetic impulses, we figured out we could use something similar to efficiently kill their engine and everything inside, including the ability to generate more Dominators.” Winn started, literally jumping from one board to another and scribbling down new formulas and specific numbers everywhere. 

Standing near one of the glass boards, Lena was holding her tablet and typing away at it frantically, barely looking up to follow the explanation. Eliza was here as well, helping Winn by handing him more markers as he was using them too fast. Felicity and Carter were working on a computer to send schematics and blueprints on the wall of screens for everyone to see. Alex, for her part, was clutching a cup of coffee in both her hands while trying to translate Winn’s scribblings into proper English for the rest of the team. 

“It’s basically a bomb. We are using a few devices we had in stock in the armory and enhancing them to transform them into bombs. It will be powerful enough to blow up ships but the thing is, as long as the mother ship is still functioning, it’s useless to try to take down the fleet hovering on the outskirts of National City.” Alex explained while struggling to keep up with the files showing up on the screens. 

“Lucy managed to have another EMP sent here and it’s coming up as we speak. Felicity and Lena will work on it to make a bomb out of it, a big one, that will have to be put inside of the mothership” Alex kept going but as she pronounced the last word, she turned to face Kara. Her face was twisted in hesitation and reluctance but she finally sighed. 

“It’s stationed right above the fleet but, in space. You will have to go there to put the bomb in the engine room. When Winn managed to hack into one of the ship, he downloaded an approximate plan of it and we are assuming every ship is built on the same model. Knowing that, we are now certain that all the bombs need to be close to the engine of the ships to effectively destroy them and there’s more to it, the bombs need to be detonated at the same time as the mothership’s.” Alex turned again towards the wall of screens and took a few steps to the biggest one on the left. 

She moved a hand away from her coffee to designate something. “Here is the outline Winn retrieved of a ship. The engine room is, oddly enough, located on the upper part of it. You can’t throw the bombs on them, it won’t work. Here is the area where you can put the device, we’ll manage to have a button you can press to have it stick or whatever.” 

Everyone was listening with rapt attention but when Alex had explained Kara was going to have to fly up into space, Cat had moved closer to her wife to seek contact. Instinctively, the younger Danvers had placed her wife in front of her and thrown her arms around her waist, keeping her close but still listening to Alex. 

“It’s going to be a messy business. Oliver, you and your team will have to work hand in hand with Bruce’s team to hold the line and prevent the Dominators to reach National City. Lucy already said that this time, she’ll send the military air force to help.” Alex stopped talking and turned to Winn, who instantly took over. 

“Right, right. We realized we couldn’t find anything to neutralize Kryptonite, especially not with how they modified Lex’s technology. I mean, the DEO has been working with the Kryptonians for years now and they have never managed to find anything, it’s not in a handful of hours we’ll manage it. Instead, we chose to focus our energy to the actual matter at hand. We need to kill the Dominators for good, it will eradicate our kryptonite problem. For now, at least.” He explained while throwing an empty marker behind his shoulder, grabbing the one Eliza was handing him to continue his formula. 

“It means Kara and I still can’t get any closer …” Superman interjected, a deep frown etched in between his eyes. Winn nodded but didn’t reply to him. Instead, he turned toward Carter. 

“Buddy, wanna continue this?” 

Carter left the computer he had been working on for the past few minutes to come stand next to Winn. He was so serious, despite the college outfit and the youngness of his features. 

“Actually, Kara, I worked on something for you. It won’t neutralize the effect of the Kryptonite, alas, but it should allow you to be able to fly up to the mothership and to come back once you’ve put the bomb in place.” Carter moved towards one of the glass board and searched into the mess of writings before grabbing a marker and modifying something. 

“The Dominators gave me an idea. The harness they use, I asked Arthur, I mean sorry, Aquaman …” Carter blushed furiously and the sea king smirked. 

“You can call me Arthur, young man. Keep going.” 

Carter almost melted on the spot, making heart eyes at the man he was such a huge admirator of. 

“Hm, buddy, we’re waiting for you here.” Kara gently reminded him, smirking too. Even Cat was amused by her son’s behavior. 

“Right! Sorry. So, Arthur brought me back a harness and I studied it, in the room entirely lined with lead you know. It’s great tech, really, too good to be neutralized but I basically used the model to make you a sun powered vest.” Carter explained, moving towards the back of the room to retrieve a vest that looked a lot like a bulletproof vest but glowing yellow. 

“For the design, you’ll have to check with Winn, I only focused on the practical aspect. It will allow you to maintain your powers long enough to go up and to come back and should you use your abilities too much, it will regenerate them but not fully. The amount of sun power needed is too important so, the vest won’t last forever. Eliza helped and then I checked all the calculations, Winn and Lena did too and you have, in best case scenario, three hours. Worst case scenario … Barely one.” Carter explained, handing the vest to Kara who moved away from Cat to try to pull it on. 

“Hm, yes, no, Winn will have to work on this because it doesn’t fit with my cape and I need my cape to fly ….” Supergirl said, handing the vest over to her friend. 

“Don’t worry, it will be ready in half an hour.” Winn said and he scurried away, followed by Eliza. 

“It still doesn’t solve the problem.” Superman chimed in again, crossing his arms over his chest. Kara groaned, loudly enough for Cat to arch a brow at her. 

“You’re going to work with the teams to protect the civilians, Clark.” Carter stated, his tone cold and firm as he glared at the man of steel, annoyance written all over his face. 

“I will place the bombs on the ships.” Diana suddenly joined the conversation, stepping in from where she had been standing, next to Kara. “I am not affected by Kryptonite and I am faster than any of the men gathered around.” 

Oliver grumbled something but Felicity elbowed him hard enough to make him shut up. Arthur snickered and Bruce only smirked, while Superman frowned. 

“Perfect. We’ll explain to you how it works once we have finished building the bombs. You don’t have to put one on every ship but if you can, try to draw a circle in the disposition, for the blast to reach them all.” Alex elaborated by showing the layout of the fleet on the screens and Diana watched with attention. 

While Alex and Diana studied the plan of action together, Lena walked closer to Kara, finally looking up from her tablet. 

“I have to say Kara, you have the strangest friends.” The Luthor casually said, glancing towards the demi-goddess and then towards the teams of men discussing battle strategy together. 

“Tell me about it.” Cat answered with a smirk. Lena returned the amused gesture before walking away, heading to the lab. 

Kara silently moved to hold Cat again, pressing a kiss on her wife’s forehead. 

“I suppose there is no point in saying I don’t like this plan?” Cat whispered, returning the embrace and tangling her fingers into Supergirl’s cape. 

“There isn’t, no. You know we will execute it anyway.” Kara smiled and then sighed. “I think the only missing person in this little scene is Lois. She would be over the moon to see so many heroes gathered together …” 

“Ah yes but you see, lesser Lane is too busy carrying a child. We can’t have it all.” Cat replied with a smirk despite the soft gleam in her eyes. 

“I remember someone saying we actually can have it all. Just, not at first and not at the same time.” Kara teased and Cat made an appreciative sound. 

“Hm, I did say that, didn’t I?” She nodded, looking up to meet Kara’s eyes. Something sparkled between them and then, Kara bent over to kiss her wife, soundly. It didn’t last long but Cat felt a little better afterward. She pressed her cheek against Kara’s chest and sighed. 

Clinging to the superhero in a way that clearly betrayed her inner terror, she finally whispered “Don’t die.”

—

“I like your sister.” Diana said as she entered the room where Kara was trying on the vest Winn had modified for her. 

“I take it she’s not giving you the protective slash jealous undertones anymore.” Kara replied with a smile as she stood still, arms reached out to allow her friend to make all the adjustments. 

“She put me through something your Cat called a … shovel talk?” Diana said, tilting her head and throwing Kara a questioning look, sounding unsure about the last two words. 

Kara bursted into a fit of laugher and Winn giggled. 

“It’s, why are you calling her my Cat, it makes it sound like the actual animal.” Kara managed to say before chuckling again. 

“Do not say that in front of her, ever, she’s never going to forgive you.” Winn warned Diana and the woman frowned, confusion clear on her mythical features. 

“As for Alex, yes probably she told you that if you hurt me, she’ll make you pay for it or something along those lines. She does that with all the people close to me.” Kara nodded, a fond smile gracing her lips at the thought of her big sister. 

“I like her.” Diana said again, before leaning against the wall to watch Winn work his magic.

—

When Lucy called to say there was movement around the alien fleet, they were all ready to go. 

“Alright everyone. You have your orders. Coms will be restored as soon as the EMP stop working and you need to stay connected because as soon as all the bombs are in place, Winn here will activate them. Diana, here’s your device.” Alex handed a bluetooth device to the warrior and helped her with it. 

“Show time.” She finally said and everyone moved. Superman took off from the DEO balcony while the rest of the teams headed towards the lift to reach the parking lot. 

Supergirl stayed back for a while, looking into Cat’s eyes with something like hesitancy. She wanted to say so many things but somehow, the words all sounded empty in the face of the fate of the world. Carter hugged her tightly and she returned the hug as strong as she could without hurting him but then, he wandered off to go help Felicity and Lena to keep an eye on the bombs activity. 

“Don’t die.” Cat whispered again and Kara only nodded, before moving closer to kiss her wife. 

The kiss tasted like the end of the world and Kara felt salt on her tongue. She realized Cat was silently crying and she wrapped her into a soft but fierce embrace, unable to speak but desperate to reassure her wife. 

“I’ll be back.” She finally murmured, not wanting to make any promise but knowing she couldn’t leave without at least saying something. 

“I love you.” She added with a last, lingering kiss, before speeding towards the balcony to take off into the sky. 

Up, up, up and away, no time to lose.

—

“Alex, who’s the lady with a sword, a shield and a … lasso?” 

Winn chuckled and Alex rolled her eyes before punching the speaker button off on her phone, putting the device to her ear to answer her girlfriend. 

“It’s … It’s Diana, of Themyscira.” Alex sighed, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to start with a name. 

“The woman who saved Kara, when we thought …” Alex instantly winced and cut Lucy off. “Yes, that one. Turns out she’s a demi-goddess, the daughter of an Amazon and … a god.” 

“A god. Really.” The skepticism that dripped from Lucy’s tone made Alex smirks. 

“Yes, Zeus is her father.” She casually dropped, amused by the conversation despite the war that was about to start again, pretty soon. 

There was silence on the line but then Lucy spoke again. “I can’t even tell if you’re messing with me or if you’re actually serious, Danvers.” 

This time, Alex all but laughed before answering. “A bit of both, I guess. I mean I had trouble believing it too but you know, she did point out that Kara was an alien from outer space and that we were not even blinking at that, why would Diana being the daughter of Zeus be any less believable?” 

It took the general a whole minute to reply. “She has a point but … She’s the daughter of Zeus how is no one reacting to this?” 

“Oh, believe me. There were plenty of reactions, I think Carter has a new crush now.” Alex explained and she smiled sweetly when her nephew threw her a glare. Cat, standing near her son, only smiled with amusement. 

“I totally get why, she’s gorgeous.” Lucy replied and Alex couldn’t even feel jealous because she had seen Diana and anyone with eyes would find her beautiful. It was hard, to not like her. 

“I know. How are things going on, over there? Kara’s halfway up to the mothership, is Diana getting close to the fleet?” 

“Close? I don’t think she can get any closer, she’s putting the bombs atop the ships already, jumping from one to another and from what I see, the pattern is a circle …” Lucy explained and Alex heard the faint echo of admirative whispers around her lover’s voice. 

“Are your soldiers drooling over the woman?” Alex asked with a smirk. 

“We all are, yes. She’s incredible. The teams are holding the lines since the Dominators are at it again but so far, nothing to declare. Superman doesn’t look so happy though, hovering above us in his grumpy posture …” Lucy pointed out and Alex had no trouble imagine Clark Kent, brooding like a Oliver Queen as he was forced to stay away from the war. 

“He’s acting like a stubborn kid, don’t mind him. Alright I have to go babe, Kara will get to the mothership soon and I need to be connected with everyone. Be safe and see you soon.” Alex said before hanging up, after Lucy had the time to tell her the same thing. 

“Alright everyone, it’s show time.” Alex said, joining Carter and Winn next to Felicity and Lena, to keep an eye on the bomb in order to be ready for the detonation.

—

She realized her sun powered vest wasn’t powerful enough when she noticed the weight of the bomb in her arms. She had safely arrived near the mother ship, oddly noticing its ressemblance with a fictional ship she’d seen in the TV show Battlestar Galactica, the one Winn and Alex forced her to watch for months and she was now wandering around a floor she knew was located right under the engineering room. 

The fact the ship wasn’t crawling with Dominators was unsettling but she wasn’t one to complain, especially not know that she was aware her vest probably didn’t have enough energy to go back to Earth. 

It was getting old, the near death situation in which she constantly found herself. 

She finally found what seemed to be a lift and her knowledge of intergalactical languages helped her figure out how to use it. She punched a screen and entered a few symbols and she assumed the whooshing sound meant she was now moving. It took a handful of seconds before she could exit the small alien elevator. 

The engineering room was disproportionate, even for a ship of that size. It was taking the whole upper part of the ship and the roaring of the machine was deafening. So much for the perks of alien technology, she thought as she made her way towards some suspended stairs that led downward. 

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” She muttered before putting down the bomb on the floor as she contemplated the full row of what seemed to be motors. Ranks and ranks of motors coursing down the floor in organized aisles. 

“Winn,” she said as she reached for her ear. “There are like, four dozens of motors, where am I supposed to place the bomb? They are disposed like … like servers, you know what I mean?” 

She heard the parasites announcing Winn was having trouble to find her frequency. 

“I heard … you should … in the middle …” Winn’s voice came through, partially. She grumbled something in Kryptonian before bending over to holst the bomb in her arms. 

“Alright, I’m going to try to find the middle of the motors room, let’s hope the blast will be enough.” Kara said before slipping through the second row of machines. She stopped around the middle of the alley and put down the explosive. 

“All good, I’ll contact you when I’m out of here so you can detonate the whole circuit. Did Diana do her part?” Kara tried, quickly walking away to climb up the stairs and reach the strange elevator. 

“She … in place … Fine … waiting … signal … hurry …” The communication biped loudly and Kara ripped it away from her ear, wincing in pain.

When she put it back, she noticed the signal was gone. 

“Shit.”

—

“We lost contact with Kara!” Winn yelled across the main operation room, frantically trying to fix the connection. 

“What do you mean we lost contact? Winn, she’s supposed to tell us when to detonate the bombs!” 

“Yes yes yes I know don’t yell at me! We lost her frequency and the signal of her device is off!” Winn replied before rolling his chair towards another computer, typing away at the keyboard while studying the information scrolling on the screen. 

“Communication between Earth and Space would do that.” Felicity sarcastically chimed in. When Alex all but glared daggers at her, she retreated and moved back to her desk to try to help Winn. 

“Lena, can you figure out a way to hack into the mothership? Maybe we can get a signal over there, telling Kara to get out of there within five minutes? Diana placed all the bombs and she’s helping the teams but the Dominators must have sensed something because they are regenerating faster and they are more violent, more ruthless.” Alex turned to face the Luthor, who was already trying to break the protections around the mothership using the most powerful computer available. 

“I think I can do that but we will have no way to find out if it worked, Alex …” Lena replied, progressing as fast as she could on the firewall surrounding the alien technology. “Here, you talk, hopefully it will blast your voice across the whole ship but like I said …” 

“I know. We have to try. Thank you.” Alex said before bending over the microphone. 

“Kara, this is Alex, we are detonating the bombs in five minutes. Get out of the ship!” The computer crashed down the moment she finished her message and panic surged in her stomach. 

“This is good!” Lena said with a relieved smile. Alex blinked at her, not understanding what she meant. 

“The computer crashed because the Dominators tried to shut us out, which means it worked, the message went up to Kara. Now, she just needs to escape …” Lena whispered with a frown, her smile gone. 

“Let’s hope she has enough power in her vest …” Alex whispered too, glancing towards Cat who had alarmingly blanched the moment Winn had announced they lost Supergirl. Carter was with his mother, trying to sooth her, to reassure her. 

When the older Danvers met Cat’s eyes, they shared a look that conveyed all their fears and the raw, terrifying sense of déjà-vu.

—

“Shit.” Kara cursed again as her fist collided with a Dominator’s stomach. Or at least, where a stomach would be if her opponent had been humanoide. The alien backed off a few steps and she took the opportunity to jump in and run, as fast as she could, towards the nearest exit. 

Her general sense of the ship was helping but the lack of power and the tiredness that started to cloak her muscles prevented her of using super speed and, in addition to this already critical state, the Dominators had finally showed up and it was slowing her down. She refused to use her powers, figuring it was best to keep them for the journey back but it meant she needed to run and escape the squadrons of aliens bursting out at every corner. 

Her mental clock ticked three minutes and she swore again, in Kryptonian this time. She needed to get out within one minute otherwise, the blast of the explosion would kill her. 

Thinking of Cat, Carter, Alex and every one of her loved ones, she sighed and punched again, determined to make it out of alive.

—

The explosion shook the entire planet and everyone looked up to the sky to see the orange nuclear mushroom grow and then fade, slowly.

—

The fleet was gone in ashes and smoke but the heroes were all looking up at the sky, waiting for their friend, the last daughter of Krypton, to show up.

—

At the DEO, everyone was gathered on the balcony, eyes full of hope but hearts squeezed in fear as they all searched for the familiar blue and red blur.

—

Minutes ticked, one by one, until Carter shouted “HERE!” as he pointed up towards something. 

Falling from the clouds, along the heavy rain, a silhouette headed towards the ground at an alarming speed. It quickly became evident Kara wasn’t flying as much as she was crashing and it seemed like the whole city had come to the same realization. A collective gasp distinctly echoed through National City as they all witnessed the ineluctable fate of their most beloved girl of steel.

—

“Oh good, you’re awake!” 

Kara blinked once but the bright light above her eyes forced her to close them again. She let out a loud groan and slowly moved a hand to reach out to her head in a futile attempt to ease the pounding that echoed inside. 

“Oh God. Did I hit Superman or something?” She mumbled and her own voice sounded weird to her ears, heavy and thick, slow. 

“Easy, Supergirl. You’re not fully regenerated yet.” Kara recognized the voice as belonging to Alex. Instantly, she felt more at ease and allowed her body to relax. 

“I can tell, yeah. What happened?” Kara asked before trying to open her eyes again. It took four more attempts but she finally managed it. The world around her was blurry and unsteady at first but then, Cat’s face came into focus and she lazily smiled. 

“Hi, babe.” She greeted and she felt fingers slip under hers. Instinctively, she gave them a gentle squeeze and she was rewarded by a thumb caressing the back of her hand. 

“Hello Darling.” Cat’s voice sounded thick but with emotions, a mixture of relief, fatigue and anger. 

“Uh oh. What happened?” Kara asked again, realizing something must have gone wrong. Cat’s tone was the same one she had heard for weeks after the whole kryptonite alien bomb debacle and she figured this time, it has something to do with the fact she was in the medical bay at the DEO when her last memory was of flying off the Dominator mothership as fast as she could. 

“Your vest stopped working somewhere along your journey back and you lost consciousness … which led to you falling through the sky to a certain death.” Alex casually replied. 

“Alex.” Lucy warned and Kara turned her head to see the General put a hand on the older Danvers’s forehead, gently, tenderly. 

“Sorry. I’m just … I’m tired of having to deal with your near-death experiences.” Alex bluntly stated and Lucy rolled her eyes. 

“She’s been worried sick, like pretty much everyone around here, and she doesn’t really handle it well.” Lucy explained with another roll of her eyes. “Don’t worry about it just now, how are you feeling?” 

“Like I’ve actually hit the ground?” Kara half-replied, half-asked, feeling like a whole fanfare was playing in her head. 

“That would be Diana’s doing. She jumped to catch you mid-fall and she … miscalculated her strength. Since you didn’t have any powers … You felt the whole shook of being rescued by a demi-goddess. She broke your ribs and gave you an actual, honest to God, concussion.” Alex smirked and Kara could tell her sister thought it was a small price to pay for the fright she gave her. 

“Tell me about it, I have an army of drums playing in a never ending loop in my head …” Kara groaned. 

“Oh hi Kara, you’re awake!” Carter happily greeted, entering the room with a tablet in his hands and a huge smile on his face. 

“Hi buddy, please don’t yell.” Kara mumbled before smiling widely at him, holding her free hand out for him to get closer. She managed to hug him with one arm, not removing her other hand from under Cat’s. 

“Well done, by the way! The Dominators are nothing but a bad memory now.” Carter explained once Kara released him, launching himself into the full explanation of what had occurred after she had taken off to space. 

Kara didn’t even stop him, all too happy to listen to his contagious enthusiasm.

—

“Kara! You’re up!” Winn cheered before running towards his friend, sliding the last few feet on the marble before hugging Kara. 

“Hi Winn. Thank you, for your help, you know …” Kara hugged him back and then released him. 

“Easy peasy!” Winn waved off before going back to his desk to talk with Felicity about creating a whole new kind of communicating device that would allow multi-earths discussions. 

“Kara, glad to see you’re up and about. You have to stop making a habit out of falling from the sky, you know.” Diana came next, reaching out to hug the Kryptonian as gently as she could. 

“I know, it’s becoming a theme with me, apparently. Thank you, for saving my life. Again.” Kara chuckled before hugging Diana back, tightly. She liked the fact she didn’t have to hold back while squeezing the demi-goddess, it was refreshing. 

“Yes well. Your Cat isn’t happy about it and she’s right. Stop getting yourself into those situations.” Diana arched a brow to drive her point home but Kara only smiled. 

“I’m Supergirl. I don’t fly away from danger. However, I can safely say that next time I encounter such a desperate situation, I will reach out to you first.” Kara offered and it seemed good enough for Diana, who nodded. 

“Good enough for me.” The daughter of Zeus sealed with a smile, a gesture that showed a single dimple on the side of her mouth. 

“What are you going to do now?” Kara asked, starting to walk towards the balcony and waiting for Diana to join her. 

“I don’t know. I think I’m going to travel the world, discover its history, its cultures, its landscapes … I’ve seen and heard a lot of nice things about Asia and your friend Lena offered to drop me off in Tokyo next week, since she’s going on a business trip …” Diana replied, leaning over the railing of the balcony and looking up to the stars. 

Night had fallen over National City and Kara smiled as she heard bits and bouts of excited conversations about the woman that saved the girl of steel. 

“You’re becoming popular already, here.” Kara noticed and Diana gave her a fond smile. 

“I quite like this city as well. Maybe in a few months, I’ll come back to learn more about it.” The daughter of Zeus teased, causing Kara to smile enthusiastically. 

“I would love that! Oh, it reminds me. Cat wants to know if you would like to join us for dinner tomorrow night, at our house? We are hosting some sort of celebrating party, with everyone. Lois is on her way as well, she mentioned she was looking forward to see you again. Carter would be over the moon and I would also love to see you one more time before you leave …” Kara asked and she couldn’t help the hope that slipped through her voice. 

Diana stayed silent for a few minutes, simply watching the night sky above them and Kara didn’t break the moment. She welcomed it, relishing how comfortable she felt around Diana, how at peace with herself she was. 

“I would love to, Kara.” Diana finally replied, a soft but melancholic smile gracing her lips. 

Kara hesitated a moment before putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. 

“I know what it feels, to not be able to go back home. Sometimes, it’s crushing me so hard I can barely breathe but … Here on Earth, I made myself a new home.” Kara whispered without meeting Diana’s eyes. “You are part of my home now, Diana.” 

She squeezed her friend’s shoulder and then walked away, knowing her words were not meant to be answered.

—

“I can’t believe this. Why did you all wait for me to be pregnant to have all the fun happen?” Lois Lane was green with jealousy despite the mocking smile etched across her lips.

“Well, lesser Lane, you can’t have it all.” Cat smugly replied before patting the knee of her very pregnant and very annoyed rival.

The two journalists were settled down on one of the couches of the living room, with Clark hovering on the arm of the sofa by Lois’s side. 

Kara and Diana were facing the little group, sat in two matching armchairs and they were talking about myths and religions, sometimes joined by Alex and Lucy, who shared another armchair nearby. James, Winn and J’onn were standing in a little group a few feet away and the two humans were quizzing the martian on pop culture.

Carter, for his part, was scribbling notes on a notepad while listening to Bruce and Arthur talk about the importance of bioengineering to protect the oceans. The young man was suggesting ideas and improvement and Bruce had already made a joke about recruiting the heir of the Grant empire. 

“No offense, Mister Wayne, but I’d rather go work for L-Corp before founding my own company.” Carter had very seriously replied, making his mother soar with pride and Kara chuckle with amusement at Bruce’s face.

Since that moment, Lena had joined the bioengineering conversation, her smug smile still firmly in place. 

“I’m sorry your other friends couldn’t make it.” Diana tilted her head to the side, watching as Carter valiantly tried to stop a verbal joust between Bruce and Lena. Alex and Lucy had wandered off towards the kitchen a few minutes ago. 

“They needed to go back to their earths, it’s better that way. Felicity said she was sorry to miss the party, she was looking forward to talking to you about your armor and your weapons … I think your lasso intrigued her greatly.” Kara chuckled. 

“Ah, yes. Well, maybe another time.” Diana replied with a smirk before listening to Cat and Lois’s banter. 

“It is hard to believe they are actually friend.” She said after having tried to keep up with the semi-subtles insults. 

“I know, I know. They are, though. I don’t exactly know how it works but they are, friends. Maybe even best friends but I wouldn’t say that to them, they would direct their sass and wits at us.” Kara whispered while smiling at Cat, who was narrowing her eyes at her wife. 

“Will you be alright, with your Cat?” Diana then asked, sounding a little worried. 

“We will be, yes. She … last time was very hard on her, on everyone. I think I will have to work on rebuilding our relationship again but it’s worth it. I will do it every single time, you know. They are everything to me.” Kara smiled softly, a fond look in her eyes as she watched her family. 

Diana stayed silent but the sparkles on her eyes were as bright as the stars shattered all across the sky.

—

Later that night, when everyone had gone home, Cat came to sit on Kara’s lap, on the balcony of their bedroom. 

“Where does that leave us?” Cat softly asked, nuzzling the side of her wife’s neck before applying a soft kiss above the pulse point. 

“Wherever you want us to start again.” Kara whispered back, closing her arms around Cat’s waist. She knew it was going to take time but she meant every word she had said to Diana earlier in the evening. It was worth it. 

“How about we start where we left? Tomorrow morning, Carter is going to cook us breakfast and then, he’s finally going to show us the pictures he took in Southern France. It won’t be like nothing ever happened, you and I both know we will need to talk but we did it once … We can do it again.” Cat offered, with another kiss under her wife’s chin. 

“I can’t believe you agreed to marry me.” Kara blurted, blushing a little when Cat laughed. 

“It was the easiest decision I ever had to make, Kara.” Cat countered before moving to capture her wife’s lips into a fiery kiss, a passionate one where anxiety melted away in favor of a building, burning desire. 

“If we weren’t already married, I would propose again.” Kara whispered against Cat’s lips when they parted, panting but already wanting more. 

“I would say yes again,” Cat murmured before seeking another kiss. “And again.” She kissed Kara once more. “And again …” This time, Kara was the one to claim her wife’s lips, whimpering from impatience. 

She stood up, catching Cat in her arms bridal style and took them inside, leaving National City to peacefully fall asleep.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Last part of what was, at the beginning, an angsty story but then Diana happened ... You should check my tumblr **lost-your-memory** to see the gifset that inspired it all. This second part is 16k+ words so ... Pretty long. 
> 
> Also, as you probably noticed by now, I am taking much liberties with the DC timelines and universes. I am not following the even of the very recent (and AMAZING) Wonder Woman on purpose to fit my story and bring Kara & Diana closer. Which is why, to stay rational, I couldn't put Barry Allen, aka The Flash, in this little thing because it would be a total mess, between the Flash in Justice League and the Flash of the CW ... 
> 
> Last thing, you should imagine Clark Kent is played by Henry Cavill here and Batman is played by Christian Bale ... At least, I imagine them like this.
> 
> _I'm always happy to talk, feel free to reach out to me in comments or on Tumblr ♥_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> So this was a prompt from my NASCAR anon, based on a song from Hozier (work song) and greatly inspired by a gifset created by [beyondambivalent](http://beyondambivalent.tumblr.com/) you can find here [x](http://lost-your-memory.tumblr.com/post/160656982277/beyondambivalent-the-stars-are-not-wanted-now). 
> 
> I gave this little piece the title of the poem I used for Supergirl's eulogy, by W.H Auden. 
> 
> You are welcome to come yell at me on tumblr, I'm [lost-your-memory](http://lost-your-memory.tumblr.com) over there.
> 
> See you around ♥


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